More than what meets the eye
by Empathic Soul
Summary: UPDATED! Please read and review. The thin line that differentiates life and death is what?
1. Chapter 1

**MORE THAN WHAT MEETS THE EYE**

"_Prologue"_

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and any of the characters. Some of the characters in this fanfiction are created for the purpose of creating a deeper plot. There may be some violent scenarios during the entire story. There is no yaoi, shounen-ai, or yuri in this story. Keep and open mind and read at your own risk.

* * *

_The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live_

_- Elbert Howard -

* * *

_

The moon was shining brightly during the night similar to a spot light in a theater. It was round and bright; almost like a small sun during the dark of the night. The cherry blossoms fell from the tree as if they were dancing in the wind. Their movement was so random, so unique, so ethereal against the moon's luminous smile. They appear like tiny star dusts falling from the sky. It makes everything so unreal…

…so heavenly

Heaven? Where indeed was heaven?

She lived her entire 150 years in the place where some people may refer to as heaven. Where time seems to slow down… Where immortality through an eternity of youth is present… Where power is within your reach… Where death is the option that you bring…

Where indeed was heaven?

Maybe it was this place—this place where everything seems to fall into place. Where there is night and there is day. Where there is rain and there is shine. Where people go to work during the time that the sun was up and go to their families during the night. It's ironic to think that someone like her would think that the place most people refer to as hell is synonymous to the term heaven.

Indeed, a century and a half in the soul society makes her appreciate the human world more than anyone alive does. This privilege that Urahara Kisuke gave her as a token of his apology was very helpful in her reflective moments. After the Aizen incident and the faux body, he gave her a pass through the western gate in order for her to easily move from one dimension to another. According to him…

* * *

"_Here…a token of my apology to you." Urahara Kisuke handed over to Rukia a necklace._

"_Huh? What do I do with this?" Rukia speculated looking at the foreign object as if it was some kind of evil thing._

"_That my dear is something that would connect you easily to this world from that other world you belong to." Urahara Kisuke replied pointing at the small red gem at the pendant._

"_Oh…you make it sound as if I belong from some alien area." Rukia's eyes squinted._

"_Well, it is somewhat alien. Thinking of all the people there, yeah, I guess it's safe to assume that kind of logic." He laughed while holding his hat to prevent it from flying away._

_Rukia smiled, "heh, yeah, I can agree with that too…"_

_Kisuke took the necklace and inspected it for a while. He swung it around and rotated it around his hand until only the pendant remained loose. He knelt down and showed Rukia the pendant._

"_This gem is powerful. I recently invented this gem for the purpose of traveling from one dimension to another. I realized that you have indeed spent a lot more time here in the human world more than you thought was apt."_

_Oh yeah, she knew that quite well…_

"_You've gained so much more…um…acquaintances here than you could imagine. That's why I want to share this with you."_

_Rukia's eyes widened even a fraction. She inwardly thanked her rigorous nobility training. _

"_I know that place you come from is hard." Kisuke paused while adding to himself…**and so is the Kuchiki Household. **He continued, "That's why, if ever you want to go somewhere, just to ease up your mind, to relax and embrace the feeling of being even the slightest bit human…just use this."_

_To Rukia's mind…it was a great gift._

_It was an escape…_

_It was a refuge…_

_She took the necklace slowly and gazed at the red gem that appeared to her as the flame of peace. The fire of hope… She looked up to Urahara Kisuke and for once genuinely smiled at him…_

"_Thank you."

* * *

_

Some people just don't realize how fortunate they are that they are alive -- that they are with their families—that they could actually enjoy a life where the thrill of living is there.

The thrill of living

Family…

Her lips slightly curved up as a smile begins to form. She was not really the emotional type, nor was she the type that actually wanted to dwell on such frivolous things. And yet, sometimes, even the tough ones get soft. Sometimes, they want to take the well deserved break from being such a strong persona into becoming quite the opposite.

She extended her hand out and waited for one petal to rest on her palm. She watched it land gracefully and appear as if it belongs on her hand. She stared at it for a few seconds before her smile slowly disappeared. Her brows creased and she felt herself quiver. There was only one memory that flashed into her mind whenever she saw a cherry blossom tree. To be specific, there was only one person who flashed into her mind whenever she saw a cherry blossom tree.

Kuchiki Byakuya

Even though she did not tell it to anyone, she did feel a bit ostracized in the Kuchiki Household. She already told everyone in the Gotei 13 that she felt at home and everything in the household improved. But truth be told, everything was relatively the same. Except that sometimes her brother would spare her a glace or two. Before, their relationship has been very platonic and to say the least cold. She seldom saw him at home, and when she does, he simply sits down to eat and then goes to the dojo to meditate. He rarely talks to her. If he does his only purpose is to scold her by reminding her of the rules of the house, to point out her ridiculous mistakes, and to reiterate that she should be thankful that she's in the Kuchiki family. It did nothing to help her or to make her feel as if she really was in a family. Not to mention everyone in the Kuchiki clan seems to have the habit of repeating her brother's messages to her.

"_That's great Rukia, you finally now have a family!"_

Renji's words just keep on echoing to her everytime she reflects on her family, or rather on her household. That household was never home for her. She felt as if the headquarters was even more of a home than that. She felt at home buried under her papers. She felt at home whenever her groupmates teased her and made her eat cucumbers and eggs thrice a day, and most of all, she felt even more at home staying in that measly cabinet in Ichigo's home.

The wind suddenly blew. Her white kimono embraced her slender figure. She relaxed her back on the trunk of the tree that she was resting on. There was no disturbance. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, she decided to take her well deserved rest. There was nothing except her and the cherry blossom petals that fell over her, teasing her to dance, singing her soft hymns by the tune of the breeze…there was no one, except her.

Peace

* * *

He looked at her from afar. He had known this activity of hers for quite some time. He knew she went out to the human world at times just to take a break. True enough it was against the rules, but he never knew that whenever it came to her, he could easily break them, whether he liked it or not. He did not like breaking the rules either. He never did.

He did not like the idea that he always followed her whenever she left home in the middle of the night to sneak out and rest in the human world. He did not like the idea that he always hid in the shadows to simply watch over her as she rested in this same cherry blossom tree every night.

And most of all…

He did not like the idea that was crawling in his mind not to mention seems to grasp into his heart that Rukia…

Was not happy…

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**MORE THAN WHAT MEETS THE EYE**

"_Chapter 1"_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and any of the characters. Some of the characters in this fanfiction are created for the purpose of creating a deeper plot. There may be some violent scenarios during the entire story. There is no yaoi, shounen-ai, or yuri in this story. Keep and open mind and read at your own risk.

* * *

_Happiness resides not in possessions and not in gold; the feeling of happiness dwells in the soul._

_- Democritus -_

Kuchiki Byakuya, captain of the 6th Division and 28th head of one of the greatest noble clans in the Soul Society. His reputation of being one of the strongest captains of all time was never in doubt. Even during the days where the news of having been defeated by Kurosaki Ichigo, it never overturned the knowledge that Kuchiki Byakuya is a talented Death God.

Using the term death god so literally, he indeed was one who delivers death in any of his blows. No one was known to have escaped his lethal sword, Senbonzakura. Only one lucky man was able to escape from his blade, that one person is now currently the substitute lieutenant of the first division.

And yet, Byakuya's most striking characteristic is his apathetic and stoic posterior. He never makes face, loses his poise, and becomes anything else but calm. It seems as if that the word calm was created only to describe Kuchiki Byakuya. Despite all occurrences, he rarely shows any expressions, whether it be of happiness or of sadness, anger or dismay. No one ever caught him looking forlorn or lost. He seems to be always in control of his emotions and most especially his actions.

A lot of people believe that it was probably a result of him being born into a noble family. His blue blood lineage made him act in ways none would have imagined. He is the epitome of nobility and class—not to mention a great role model to all his subordinates.

A lot of people admire Kuchiki Byakuya. Some people admire him because of his abilities. Who would not admire someone with such a skill? Who would not admire someone who mastered all the incantations and could reach bankai in almost a different level?

On the other hand, some people are envious of his lineage. Some say that he must have done a lot of good things in his past life that he was able to live in such a privileged lifestyle. Wealth, fame, and fortune are all within his reach and no one was in comparison with him. He wore a very expensive scarf, the heirloom of the Kuchiki Clan. This scarf can feed a million people in Rukongai for a few years but for the Kuchiki Clan, it was simply an adornment or an accessory to the head of their clan. He lived a lifestyle where there are servants who serve him loyally and advisors who give him suggestions to improve the loyalty and strength of their clan.

Still others seem to think that it's quite unfair that someone who has wealth, fame, and strength, would also have such devilish good looks. His calm posterior increases his attractiveness by looking like a mysterious man who has everything. What else is there to look for when someone like Kuchiki Byakuya exists in this world? It's as if all the world's needed wealth, fame, and fortune was thrown into one man and made him exist as if he had no care in the world.

Indeed, that was what everyone thought of Kuchiki Byakuya.

He was untouchable, in more ways than one. No one attempted to do so. Some tried but never lived to tell the tale.

Ironically, this was simply the tip of the iceberg.

A lot of people still question the why the Kuchiki Clan adopted a girl from Rukongai. A lot of people are still curious as to why Kuchiki Byakuya willingly ran through the line of danger in order to save a girl that was totally unrelated to him—and someone who he willingly placed in the death row at that.

He was a very mysterious man, and he also never gave any one a chance to understand him.

Kuchiki Byakuya sat in his office doing all the paper work that was needed to be done. He had a lot of meetings in line for him that day and he also had to do give that assignment about the Hollow appearance in the human world. He could not even begin to bother himself with the usual rumors that he hears outside of his office. Sometimes it seems as if it was already part of his routine. Having ultra sensitive hearing makes him capable of hearing gossips and plain street talk. He can usually concentrate and work on his own pace without even minding what other people are talking about.

But somehow, he just can't seem to concentrate with his work. Even though he does not appear like it, he was a bit overstressed with everything that was going on with his life—or rather the life that was dictated by the norms of nobility. It was annoying to think that a lot of people out there, with a lot of opinions, think that he has everything in this world. They think that he being the 28th head of the Kuchiki Clan has a life that was so easy that he did not have to work at all.

But they should know better that everything that exists always has to strike a balance somewhere. He may have every material thing present in this world. If he wished to have the rarest gem and the strongest sword in all of Soul Society he could probably have them, but…

Fate was cruel enough to actually tear him off of all emotional attachments. It seems that fate gave him all the tangible and made him lose all the intangible. He never really knew of any great friends of his. Even Ukitake of the 13th Division was not much of a friend to him, more like an upperclassman only. Unohana of the 4th Division was not much of a friend to him either, she was more like a nurse to him, someone who always reminded him of his annual medical check-up and who would take care of nursing him to health.

Hisana

Well, Hisana was so rudely stripped off him of the one thing that he delivers…

Death.

And…

Yes…

That's right there is still one person.

Rukia.

This one was definitely confounding and it makes him perplexed every single time he thought of her. It had been difficult ever since he adopted her into the clan. There were so many things that he had to fight for in order for her to stay.

First of, he fought against the rules and regulations of nobility. He bridged the rules, broke some bones in the process, well he can't really avoid it, some used brute force to try and knock some sense into him, and he had to suffer ill-natured opinions to fight for Rukia to stay in the clan. It was a tough decade of resistance until the clan was able to accept that Rukia was going no where. He is rather pleased that at least this time there was not much ruckus anymore regarding that issue.

But, time never did anything to help him with his second dilemma. At first, he was simply amazed at how much Hisana and Rukia looked alike. During the onset of Rukia's stay in the household, he tried his best to avoid her for reasons that she reminded him of Hisana. Every time he looks at her, he feels as if Hisana was there beside him. It spurred feelings of regret, anxiety, and most of all guilt.

He had been the cause of Hisana's death for all he knew. He bought her to a noble family when she was not used to it. He caught a free bird and placed it in a cage. He deemed it selfish for him to do so, but he loved her. It was the only way to express love as far as he knew. He believed that taking her in as his wife would make her life easier. Her life would not be of pure danger, she would not be thinking of how to live through a day, instead other people would be thinking of that for her.

But, the Kuchiki clan killed Kuchiki Hisana slowly but surely. The pain of regret for Hisana of having abandoned her sister was brutal. The pressure that was placed on her was even more distressing for a depressed person. And he was not sensitive enough to know that because of simply one reason…

He was not around.

He was always on a mission. He was always assigned to deal with hollows and other special cases. He was busy trying to achieve his goals and meet the expectations of the noble house to notice that his one most important person was losing her light.

Yes.

For Kuchiki Byakuya, he killed Hisana.

He decided to atone for his sins to Hisana by adopting his sister. And yes, Rukia reminded him of his sins. After a few decades with Rukia as his sister, he taught her everything about nobility. He hired instructors, asked the advisors to give Rukia all the teachings and tutorials that she has to learn in order for her to become a noble.

It was not that difficult because Rukia was receptive. She accepted all that was given to her and studied it wholeheartedly. She welcomed the knowledge and quickly placed it in action. In just a few years, no one would notice that she came from Rukongai. Instead, some already labeled her as the Little Byakuya—cold and uncaring.

That was what he wanted right?

Yes. For him it was what he wanted. He wanted Rukia to be strong and be able to resist all the possible distressing events that would come by her in the future. He thought that by doing so he would be able to deal with her everyday. But somehow, there was this unnerving feeling that he gets whenever he's with her. He attributed it to seeing Hisana in Rukia.

Thus came the decision…

* * *

"_Eh?" Ukitake had this look of surprise on his face. "W-why?"_

"_Just accept my proposition, Captain Ukitake. I do not have to repeat myself." Byakuya stared at Ukitake. To Byakuya, Ukitake looked like a fish right now. With his mouth wide open in shock at his 'request'._

"_I don't understand. I got this distinct impression that since she's your sister, you would prefer her to be in your group." Ukitake scratched the back of his head and raised an eyebrow. "I mean, your kind really don't appreciate it when some of you um…associate themselves with…uh…commoners."_

_It was really distressing to find the appropriate words in dealing with nobles. That was the train of thought of Ukitake._

"_And what exactly are you referring to when you said 'my kind'?" Byakuya raised a fine eyebrow and squinted his eyes in the process. _

"_Oh, ah-ha-ha! I was referring to you of noble class." Ukitake laughed. "I mean Captain Kuchiki; I really don't understand why you want me to be the captain of your sister. She is your sister and she would be better off under your wing."_

"_Do not doubt my judgment, Captain Ukitake." Byakuya answered. "I did such decision in hopes that she would be able to study under one of the first Captains in the entire Gotei 13. With your experience, I am certain that you would be able to teach her the appropriate means of being a great shinigami."_

_**Well…how do we put it…I guess after being complimented I really don't know what to say. Ukitake thought. **He replied. "Well, um, I will ask you this once Captain Kuchiki, are you certain of your decision."_

_Byakuya was a bit unnerved with how much disbelief the 13th squad captain was showing with his decision. He almost gave out a sigh of frustration, but willed himself against it._

"_I will no longer repeat myself, Captain. Take care of my sister." Byakuya took a bow of respect for his senior and turned to leave._

_Ukitake watched him take his leave. He simply smiled knowingly before browsing through the profile of his new partner._

* * *

There were mainly two reasons why he decided on that action. The first one is that he really thought it would be advantageous to place her under the watchful eye of Captain Ukitake. He was known to have taken care of his people really well and was a student of Captain Yamamoto himself. 

And the second and perhaps his personal reason was, he really can't work with her under his wing. He has to avoid any personal attachments and any other means of a weakness. To a warrior, having a family member or someone who is related to you near battle is a weakness. To add to that, his vice-captain certainly has "good-natured" friendship with his sister, this is not really a secret. Even before he adopted her, he was already aware of the background and the history that they shared.

And as Captain Kuchiki, he did not like distractions.

"Captain Kuchiki?"

Byakuya was released from his mental train of thought when he saw Captain Ukitake in front of him. Byakuya was quite surprised to see the man but with a century of training, he did not really show it. Maybe, there was a slight tensing of the shoulders but nothing more.

"Captain Ukitake Jyuushirou, what brings you here?"

Ukitake shoved his silver hair back as he stood straight while placing his hands on his hips. He smiled slyly and laughed.

"It's really surprising Captain Kuchiki, that was the first time that I caught you off-guard." Ukitake teased. He was certainly looking smug of having caught him least to say, 'distracted'.

"I am not off-guard." Byakuya replied almost with a slight tenor in his voice. It sounded like a warning not to pursue the topic any longer.

But the other one was not really listening, or rather refused to let himself be intimidated by his junior.

"Well, let me rephrase that. Maybe daydreaming would be an appropriate word." Ukitake this time smirked and Byakuya squinted his eyes.

"Is teasing me your primary purpose of giving me the honor of your visit?" Byakuya was so sarcastic that if sarcasm had a tangible form, the entire room was dripping of it.

For the other captain, that was almost enough of a warning and he knew that stepping into the danger zone even more would probably cause him to head to the office of the 4th captain in the next few minutes.

"Ha-ha, well my apologies. I will not tease you anymore, sir." Ukitake snickered appearing not intimidated by the glare that the younger captain was sending him. "I will not take much more of your time today. Actually, Captain Kuchiki, I'm here to inform you that I will be promoting Rukia today."

"Promoting?" Byakuya raised his eyebrow. "If it is in your group, I could care less."

"Oh, but you do care Captain Kuchiki." Ukitake is actually more knowledgeable and more perceptive than anyone actually gives him credit for. "I'm promoting Rukia-chan to becoming a lieutenant."

"If your purpose is to hear me say congratulations to her, then I will personally deliver my congratulations to Rukia when I see her at home." Byakuya replied placidly.

"Captain, did you not read the order this morning?" Ukitake asked directly.

"About the hollow activity in Tokyo." Byakuya answered.

"Yes. And those assigned in the mission are the lieutenants of First, Sixth, and Thirteenth Division. The mission begins tomorrow." Ukitake answered.

Byakuya was silent.

Ukitake on the other hand eyed him carefully. For the captain of the 13th division, he was very much aware of how concerned the 6th division captain is of his subordinate. Even though Byakuya was not an expert in showing it, he is continuously concerned over his sister.

* * *

_When Rukia was picked up before from the human world, the 6th division volunteered to pick her up. In front of everyone, they appeared like they were merely following the rules and the order, especially the captain. But to the eyes of Captain Ukitake and Captain Unohana, they knew what was going on in the mind of Byakuya and Renji. _

"_Kuchiki Rukia has been spotted in the human world. I want to assign people who would pick her up. I have a preference for vice-captains since the villain who took her powers may be present." Captain Yamamoto suggested._

_Captain Yamamoto saw that Ichimaru was about to volunteer when Kuchiki Byakuya stepped forward._

"_I will personally do this mission. What Kuchiki Rukia did is a disgrace. I will not tolerate it." Byakuya spoke._

_Ichimaru smirked and replied. "Aww, that's sad. I wanted to pick her up. You know like old buddies."_

"_I will personally attend to this matter." Byakuya reiterated and stared at Ichimaru._

"_Wah, scary-scary. You really do make a scary face, Byakuya-kun." Ichimaru teased looking at the usually stoic 6th captain. "Perhaps captain, the reason you volunteered for this task is because…"_

_There was a slight dramatic pause as everyone waited for what he had to say._

"…_Is it possible? That you're worried?" Ichimaru smiled. "You're actually freakin' angry over that ryouka who stole the powers of your sister…"_

"_I have no room for such worthless emotions." _

"_Oooh, that must have hurt if Rukia-chan was here to hear you say that. I'm even more certain that you would gladly place her in the death row if ever she would be convicted." Ichimaru grinned._

"_If that is the decision of the court. So shall it be. The Kuchiki Clan has no room for law-breakers." Byakuya replied coldly._

"_**Heh, no wonder that sister of yours wanted to stay there." Ichimaru took a different turn. "She was better off dead than being with you and your stupid clan."**_

"_Careful with your words, Captain Ichimaru. This is a sensitive topic as it is already for Captain Kuchiki. Be more considerate for your colleagues." Aizen reprimanded._

"_And as if that would be the case for him. HE would gladly kill his sister for the law." Ichimaru grinned._

_Ukitake watched the event unfold. He did not like it to say the least. He wanted to be the one to pursue Rukia. But Byakuya beat him to it. But, he knew what Ichimaru said struck to Byakuya. He knew this boy for long and knew how to read him. Although he never really succeeded in breaking his ice cold barrier, he could understand the thoughts of the 6th captain._

_He did not like the way this conversation was going._

"_Captain Yamamoto. Please give this mission to Captain Kuchiki." Unohana interrupted. "It would be best that he would be the one to go there. He is an experienced fighter and would know the appropriate actions to take."_

"_I agree." Ukitake added. "I have utmost confidence in his capability to make the right decisions."_

_Captain Yamamoto nodded. "Captain Kuchiki. Bring Kuchiki Rukia back to Soul Society."_

* * *

After informing his vice-captain, Renji was simply raging mad over the man (or least he presumed it to be a man) who stole the powers of Rukia. He was very much certain that the person who stole it forcibly took it away from his, to term it using Unohana's words, childhood sweetheart. Captain Ukitake almost laughed because he never knew that Captain Unohana was such a romantic.

* * *

"_I bet he's really frustrated that Rukia-chan's powers were taken away by a stranger." Unohana giggled as she and Ukitake took their lunch together._

"_Heh, he must have been too eager to take on the job. You know Renji, if he wants it he gets it." Ukitake strengthened the remark and took a bite of his sandwich._

"_Nu-uh-uh…" Unohana waved her index finger while shaking her head. "Not all Ukitake. Not all…"_

_Unohana giggled once more and Ukitake raised his eyebrow and finally getting to the flow of information he laughed as well._

"_Well, he might as well go through the 7 circles of hell before he asks her if she could be his girl." Ukitake smirked. "And not to mention face the wrath of a very overprotective older brother, who refuses to admit that he is overprotective."_

"_I agree…Byakuya-kun seems a little too uptight. Maybe he should loosen up a bit." Unohana nodded. "It appears to me that some of that uptightness is already rubbing in to your subordinate before."_

"_Nah. You see Rukia that way only when she's with Byakuya. We usually tease her by saying that she's going to develop some sort of multiple personality disorder by the time she reaches her next 100th year." Ukitake shook his head. "One moment she's as rowdy and violent as a boy, beating the crap of all my subordinates, the next moment she's a princess who you can never imagine could break a glass."_

"_I noticed that. She's very much…poised when she's with Byakuya. The price of nobility really is different." Unohana sighed. "I had my share and I know that it is difficult."_

"_Even if I don't experience it myself, I am quite aware of her dilemma. But most of all, I am painfully aware of the dilemma that Byakuya is in also." Ukitake took a sip of his tea. "That man, he just did not learn what it was like to express his feelings clearly. He's really going to take the title as Ice Prince from Hitsugaya-kun."_

_Unohana smiled. She carefully picked up her cup of tea and sipped silently._

"_Sometimes Ukitake, it only takes the right person to break the ice." Unohana smiled mysteriously. "And I know for certain, that person is around there somewhere."_

* * *

Well, it was true. Byakuya did have other concerns of chasing Rukia during that mission. It was so obvious because captains do not really leave Soul Society in a "measly" mission such as that and would not even draw a sword on a Ryouka. But all those, he did so himself. 

He personally went to get Rukia and take her back to Soul Society and what's even more unbelievable is that he drew his sword against Kurosaki Ichigo. He knew Renji's skills were enough to deal with Kurosaki Ichigo during that time, and yet, he went to all the trouble of delivering the final blow.

That was really beyond Kuchiki Byakuya. He really cared for his sister. Ukitake looked at Byakuya who simply looked back at him after a few seconds.

"What does it have to do with me if the chosen ones are the lieutenants? I do not care. As long as they do their work. If you are concerned over Renji not doing his work well, I will make certain that he does. Furthermore, if you have concerns over Rukia's performance, I will remind her to do her best. And as for the first division lieutenant, he has nothing to do with me." Byakuya replied with almost a hint of sarcasm about the first division lieutenant.

"Well, Ichigo-kun is capable. I believe that he would be able to take care of Renji-kun and Rukia-chan very well." Ukitake rubbed his chin.

"Are you implying that my subordinate and one of my, as you say, kind is weak, Captain Ukitake?" Byakuya raised an eyebrow while glaring at the 13th Division Captain.

"Oh most certainly not. I'll get straight to the point." Ukitake sighed. It was really no use teasing Kuchiki Byakuya. He just becomes more uptight and even more of a sore ass. "Captain Kuchiki, the lieutenants will be making the sortie tomorrow morning for their mission. It's against a Menos Grande. I wanted to ask for your opinion if I should promote Rukia now and let her take this mission. I wanted to ask for your opinion because it is going to be a task that may lead to death."

**_Menos Grande? What?_** This was the thought that was running through Byakuya's head.

"I am concerned. I am confident over Rukia-chan's skills in becoming a lieutenant. She has exceptional leadership skills. She already reached Bankai. She mastered all the arts of incantations and dark magic. But with experience and…to put it bluntly, killing instinct, I am presuming that she needs help in that department." Ukitake sighed.

_**Menos Grande? Why? **_

"If you are confident why not?" Byakuya replied. "The strong survive and the weak die. That is the rule of warriors."

Ukitake observed Byakuya while he was saying those words. To lay down the plan that he made, he already promoted Rukia a while ago and already assigned her for the mission. He already talked to Renji and Ichigo about it and they are actually having a meeting right now. What he intended to do was that during this mission, Captain Yamamoto assigned him to look for a captain who was willing to go to the mission as well. He had his choices laid down to him.

First, he considered Zaraki Kenpachi. But that was a definite no-no. He could already imagine what would happen if he places Zaraki and Ichigo in one place.

"_Brrr…rather not think about it. Having Renji and Ichigo is enough." _

Second, he considered Onohana, which is good for him. It would do well to have a healer. But the 4th captain declined and told him that she would be sending Hanatarou instead.

Third, he considered Hitsugaya. Well, he was not really complaining. He simply asked when. At least there's a back-up for this.

Fourth, he of course considered himself. He's definitely willing to join the hunt, but he's hesitant because of his condition. The unpredictability of his weakness may be detrimental to the group. So he decided to ask the last captain he had in mind…

Fifth, Kuchiki Byakuya.

Ukitake was certain that he received the report that the mission needed 3 lieutenants and 1 captain. Ichigo was chosen because he indeed is the strongest and already managed to slice a Menos Grande Before. Rukia was there during the first time so it would also be beneficial for her to come. At the same time, Renji is the strongest full-time lieutenant available. To add to the flavor, these three already achieved Bankai level.

But, a group like this, needs a leader. Who of course would be better?

Ukitake, stopped himself from laughing.

Of course, there is no better choice than Kuchiki Byakuya.

Ukitake was snapped out of his thoughts when Byakuya spoke.

"I'm leaving. I have a meeting." Byakuya informed him.

"Oh! Ah, sorry to have taken much of your time. I will be taking my leave too." Ukitake almost saw the tension in Byakuya's eyes. He also noticed that all of the papers in his desk were already neatly filed and placed in his outgoing documents. Ukitake forbid himself from smirking. "Thank you for listening to me Captain Kuchiki."

Byakuya nodded.

Ukitake smiled.

After the 13th Division Captain left, Byakuya glared at the nearest subordinate who almost cowered under his glare.

"You. Summon Renji to my office now."

* * *

"I can't believe it. Being assigned to a mission where I have to go with the two of you." Rukia shook her head in disbelief after being left in a room with Renji and Ichigo. 

"Well, I'm not at all jumping happily about being assigned with a mission with his idiot over here." Renji gritted his teeth glaring at Ichigo who was just a seat apart from him.

"Oh?! And you think that I'm actually very happy to be with you in this mission as well. Hah! You're just gonna slow me down!" Ichigo smirked and saw Renji glare at him even more.

"Hah! As if you're so capable! You don't even know the basics of being a shinigami and could not even control that spiritual energy of yours!" Renji crossed his arms over his chest.

"What?! At least I'm not some bastard who got an eyebrow tattoo because I lost my eyebrows on a fight!" Ichigo grinned devilishly and Renji saw red.

"The hell! I did not lose my eyebrows on a fight! And for your information this is what I call battle style!" Renji argued back.

"Battle style my ass! You don't even know the basics of battle! How can you have a battle style?!" Ichigo teased and their heads were colliding. Sparks could almost be seen across the room as they continued to glare at each other while gritting their teeth in annoyance at each other's presence.

"Wanna take this outside?!" Renji challenged.

"As long as you're ready to get your ass creamed!" Ichigo replied.

Rukia sighed. She could already imagine how much trouble she would have to go through this mission. To add to that, Hanatarou would not be joining them anymore. Captain Onohana backed him out because she had an important task for him to do. At least the trip will be anything but boring.

"Oi, it's best if the two of you…" Rukia stood up, took the sheath of the katana and slammed it through their heads. "Keep your mouths shut!"

"Owww!"

The two other shinigamis howled in pain. They could probably hear bells ringing inside their heads as they slowly sat down beside Rukia.

"Now the two of you behave." Rukia glared at them and the two felt cold sweat.

The door suddenly slammed open to reveal a shinigami who looked as if he saw a hollow. Renji stood up immediately.

"Yami, what's wrong?" Renji asked. This guy was from the sixth division, directly reporting to him. "Is there an emergency?

"No, uh yes! Oh I mean no! aah yes yes!! Ah…" The shinigami stuttered.

"Oh make up your mind." Ichigo grunted and felt a foot slam down his right leg. He almost whimpered in pain but reminded himself that he has to retain composure. He was sure tears are about to fall down his face.

"Yes sir!" The shinigami scrambled. "Renji-sama, Captain Kuchiki is looking for you."

"Eh…" The three stared at him.

The shinigami stood up straight, nervous with the obvious scrutiny.

"That's it?" Ichigo asked. "That's the emergency?"

Renji felt his blood run cold. Rukia was silent.

"The hell! Why didn't you say so immediately?!" Renji grabbed his sword and raced out of the room.

"Huh?" Ichigo gawked. "What's the matter with him?" He looked at Rukia who was simply quiet.

"Ichigo, you still have lots more to learn about this world." Rukia sighed. "Definitely a lot more to learn."

* * *

Renji rushed to the office of the 6th Division only to find his captain waiting for him impatiently. He swallowed the formed lump on his throat and saluted his captain. Byakuya simply sat there silently and looked out the window. Renji stood nervously, almost feeling the tension arising from the room. 

"Renji." Byakuya started.

"Yes Captain!" Renji almost jumped out of his skin at the call of his name. He did not know why he had to be so nervous.

"You will be going to a very important mission." Byakuya started. "You have been informed I gather that much."

"Yes sir. I was informed that the sortie would be tomorrow morning and that I would be going with Vice-captain Kuchiki Rukia and Vice-captain Kurosaki Ichigo." Renji enumerated in a manner almost similar to being in the military.

_**Vice-captain Kuchiki Rukia? Byakuya thought. **_

"I see." Byakuya replied. "Do you know of your mission already?"

"Yes sir. We will only be sent there to confirm the presence of a Menos Grande." Renji informed his captain. "There were reports sir that the Menos Grande appeared early this morning and negative spiritual activity in Tokyo is rising."

Byakuya nodded still looking out the window.

Renji was silent. He did not know what was going on but to be honest, it was rare that his captain would be interested to know the details of the mission. He was almost certain that his captain would be informed about this, right?

Or…

Renji's eyes almost grew wide at the sudden epiphany that occurred to him.

Could it be?

Could it be that his captain is worried…

Worried for….

"Rukia." Renji spoke. He could almost swear that he saw his captain twitch but he shove it aside thinking that it was simply a fragment of his imagination. He decided to continue. "I promise to watch over your sister, Captain."

Byakuya could have smirked if he permitted himself to do so. Or perhaps the other alternative, to sigh in relief of his worries. But he is Kuchiki Byakuya and he does not smirk nor does he sigh.

"Captain Ukitake is accountable for Rukia." Byakuya answered his statement. He continued, "As I am accountable to your performance. You must do your best and do not humiliate this team."

_**Eh? That was it? He wanted to remind me that I should not degrade this team??? Renji thought to himself. The hell???**_

* * *

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**MORE THAN WHAT MEETS THE EYE**

"_Chapter 2"_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and any of the characters. Some of the characters in this fanfiction are created for the purpose of creating a deeper plot. There may be some violent scenarios during the entire story. There is no yaoi, shounen-ai, or yuri in this story. Keep and open mind and read at your own risk.

Please read and review. Thank you! It would really help me know how to write my story. This is my first ever Bleach story and I would appreciate reviews about it.

* * *

_The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands in moments of challenge and controversy._

_- Martin Luther King -_

_

* * *

_

Rukia was disturbed. Needless to say, she was quite bothered by what Renji told them after he got out of his meeting with her brother. It was something out of the ordinary and definitely something out of character. Her brother never really tried to know the details of the task and never really went out of his way to ask about it. How come he was starting to do so now? How come he's interested to know if we know what we are doing?

A part of her was quite annoyed with that incident. It rubs in to her that perhaps her brother does not think that they were competent enough to understand or perhaps grasp the gravity of the situation that was assigned to us. Or perhaps, he believed that we were not capable enough to handle the mission given to us. That he has doubts in sending the number 1 vice-captain, the substitute vice-captain who defeated him, and his little sister who recently was promoted to vice-captain to a mission about a menos grande…

Or perhaps, it was merely directed to her. Even though it was not a direct accusation, perhaps he was referring to her as part of the team. That she might pull them down and would slow the development because she was…weak in comparison to the two men that she will be with in this mission.

All these thinking were just giving her an upset stomach and it made her feel nauseous.

Hasn't she proven enough?

_What about the other half of her?_

_Yeah…_

_What if, he was simply inquiring about the details because…_

_Because…_

_He is worried._

Rukia paused. She was staring far away. It was as if that part of the argument was almost unjustifiable. It was as if the impossible would have happened if her brother would have been worried about her…or them at that. She laughed to herself. Ha! That was simply unheard of. It's impossible that her cold and uncaring brother for almost 1 century of her life would suddenly start caring and would be worried about her mission over a menos grande.

"Haha, simply impossible…" Rukia laughed but her laughter faded. "…haha…"

_Now why does it feel bad to rub that in...?_

Indeed. She felt as if her chest tightened in as she spoke those words to herself out loud. It was as if hearing that being said to you, that your brother worried about you is simply impossible made her feel as if all the breath in her was taken out in one swing. It was almost similar to those days when she was sentenced on the death row. She would see her brother staring at her through those cells while telling her in a placid and bland tone that she would be killed in a few days. She felt as if the world was placed on her shoulders and that she could not breathe. The cell felt as if it shrouded her in darkness as she watched and listened to her brother across those bars.

Byakuya Kuchiki...

To be worried...

About her?

But it is impossible!

Right?

* * *

_Renji returned to the room looking a bit disgruntled. He appeared spaced out as he sat in the chair in front of Rukia. Ichigo and Rukia eyed each other before the orange-haired man knocked some sense into Renji, literally._

"_Ouch! The hell! What did you do that for?" Renji rubbed the bump that just formed out of the hit._

"_Well, you were so busy spacing out that you probably didn't notice that you arrived here." Ichigo grunted. "You should be thanking me that I hit you instead of feeding you to the hollows."_

"_Che! As if you'd care." Renji snorted. _

"_So? What happened?" Rukia asked. "You looked as if your soul was taken away from you after your meeting with Nii-sama."_

"_Well, somehow." Renji nodded. _

"_Eh?! That Byakuya-guy is now a soul eater?!" Ichigo gasped and Rukia had to restrain herself from hitting him with her sword._

"_Idiot! It's an expression!" Rukia shouted. She turned her attention back to Renji and asked. "Really now Renji, what happened?"_

_Renji rubbed the back of his neck and raised an eyebrow. It appears to his two companions that he himself was pretty much confused with the meeting. He sighed and leaned back towards the chair._

"_You see, after I reached the headquarters, I proceeded to his office. When I arrived there I saw him staring …" Renji was very rudely interrupted._

"_Oh spare me the specific details…" Ichigo waved his hand._

"_I was getting to my point!!!" Renji shouted at Ichigo almost ready to pounce on him._

_Rukia interrupted them. "Argh, will you just continue with your story. And Ichigo, if you have nothing relevant and absolutely important to say, just keep your trap shut!"_

_Ichigo muttered something about violent and bad-mouthed small midgets and ill-tempered red-headed bastards before sitting obediently beside Rukia. He knew it was best for him to keep quiet as he saw the glare that Rukia was sending him. _

"_Captain…he asked me about the mission." Renji muttered. "He…he actually…Rukia…can you believe this! He actually asked me the details of the mission?!"_

_Rukia's eyes went wide by almost an inch, and that's saying much. Renji was still exasperated and was about to go panic mode. Ichigo on the other hand was simply clueless. He did not get it at all. He decided to voice out his thoughts._

"_So what? So what's the big deal if Byakuya-guy asked for the details? Don't all captains do that?" Ichigo raised the question and Renji shook his head._

"_Well, not all. Here, there are people who would careless if their subordinates lose their heads in battle." Ichigo's face went placid. "Okay, that was an exaggeration. What I meant was that, Captains don't really inquire of the whereabouts of their vice-captains, to be specific, the details of the whereabouts of their subordinates."_

_Rukia continued. "It's normal that captains ask where the locations of their subordinates are and what they are doing. But to ask for the details of something that you already know, is somewhat out of bounds especially for captains who don't ask at all."_

"_Okay, let me get this straight. There are captains who don't ask about their subordinates." Renji and Rukia nodded. Ichigo continued. "And you're saying that Byakuya is one of those I-could-care-less captains."_

_The other two nodded._

"_So what you're being surprised now is that the I-could-care-less-captain Byakuya is actually transforming into an I-really-care-captain." Ichigo analyzed._

_Renji felt chills down his spine. "Eew, that sent a shiver down my spine. I could barely imagine a concerned Captain...and I'm not kidding with the barely part. My brain could not even comprehend that part. It's as if the word care and Byakuya Kuchiki simply does not fit in a sentence."_

_Rukia was silent._

"_Oh." Ichigo simply muttered an understanding after a few seconds. "I get it now."_

"_Took you long enough to get it through your skull." Renji joked._

"_What did you say?!" Ichigo almost pounced on him when he was interrupted by Rukia._

_Rukia gazed out the window, watching the Cherry Blossoms falls down the ground._

"_Neh, why do you think he wanted to know…?" Rukia muttered. She ignored the bickering behind her and simply focused on her other surroundings. There are far more interesting things that forever listening to the two of them argue the entire day._

"_Hm, perhaps he's not confident that we could do it. He probably thought that we were some kind of newbie in the department." Ichigo gritted his teeth. "Argh, thinking that way makes me want to beat him up to the pulp again."_

"_Hah! As if you could!" Renji countered. He then looked at Rukia whose back was still turned away from them. "Rukia, perhaps the captain simply wanted to know. I mean he probably had some kind of teambuilding session for the division that he planned or something…"_

_Rukia stared at Renji as if he grew horns and Ichigo laughed._

"_Hahah! And I thought I was out of my rocker. Come on now! Do you really think that he would plan a team-whatever you say?" Ichigo laughed. "Are you sure you're not drunk?"_

"_Hey! I'm just thinking of ideas!" Renji countered. Feeling humiliated with his suggestion. Well he was hoping for a vacation from his group. It's been stressful with all the work and a vacation is more than welcome._

_They were all surprised when Rukia spoke._

"_Maybe…just maybe…nii-sama wanted to make sure that we are prepared. Maybe he was simply…worried." Rukia spoke._

_There was silence for a while._

_Then it was followed by a thunder of laughter._

_"Right! That was a good one Rukia!" Ichigo laughed. "And Renji is a genius."_

_

* * *

_

Rukia finally reached the Kuchiki Household. It was almost midnight. It really took her some time in the office because of all the paper work that was left on her desk. She had to finish everything first before she prepared for the battle that was ahead of her. She was a bit tired and seemed out of focus. The event with her brother this afternoon was disturbing but was not enough to throw her out of her workaholic momentum.

She yawned carefully sensing if there are people around the area who would notice. It's definitely a no-no for nobles to yawn in such an improper manner as she did. They taught her that if she decides to yawn, she would just have to cover her mouth in the most lady-like way and yawn gently. But where was the fun in that? It was definitely worth the yawn if you matched it with extended arms and a big "O".

She slowly removed her tabi and almost jumped out of her wits when he heard a deep voice call out her name.

"Rukia."

She scrambled for her position, dusted her clothes as quickly as she could and bowed.

"Ah, oh…good evening, nii-sama." Rukia swallowed the forming lump in her throat. "I…I did not know that you would still be awake at this time."

Byakuya watched the girl in front of him. She looked so small and so fragile. He gritted his teeth and swallowed. He simply was not himself during the entire day. First he went out of his way to prove this to his vice-captain by inquiring of what may seem to be details he already knew of from the start. Second, he went home early in hopes that he would see Rukia home. And third, this one. He didn't see her awhile ago, so he waited for her until she came back. He almost had this urge to go to the human world thinking that she might be there doing one of her "reflective" moments again. But he felt her arrive. So he did not need to leave.

He began to speak.

"You seem to be enjoying your work too much to not notice that this is not the appropriate time a girl should be returning home." Byakuya spoke. His words dripping with sarcasm almost gave pain to the recipient. Rukia winced. "Where have you been?"

It was an order to answer.

To Byakuya, he really did not want to ask in that manner. He merely wanted to say…

_Welcome home Rukia._

"Nii-sama, I was just at the headquarters. I had to finish the paper works that was assigned to me." Rukia explained. "I apologize for being so late."

Byakuya was walking towards the garden and Rukia followed him silently. She knew that the garden was his favorite place among all the places in the household. Well, in fact that was not the only thing that she knew. She also knew that every night that he's here at the household and not on some mission; he would spend at least two hours in the night meditating in the garden. He would sit in the grass area and lay down his sword beside him and start to concentrate. After two hours of that, he would go to the kitchen and would get a glass of tea and then would read a book for about 30 to 45 minutes. Then he would go up and get some rest.

Yeah, she knew his habits. She was drawn out of her thoughts when her brother spoke.

"I had talked to Captain Ukitake awhile ago and I was informed that you would be going to a mission. I take it that Renji informed you that I inquired about it." Byakuya sat down and stared out at the garden. He gestured towards the seat beside him and Rukia understood that it was an order to sit down.

"Yes nii-sama. He informed me and Ichigo." Rukia confirmed. She felt nauseous as the thoughts she was pondering on went to haunt her again. She could not help but grit her teeth in annoyance at the idea that her brother probably found them incompetent in dealing with the mission.

"That mission is important. I could not even begin to fathom the reasons why it was assigned to vice-captains instead of asking a few competent captains to do that instead." Byakuya muttered still looking afar.

Rukia was silent. She felt as if a part of her was reassured, specifically the part of her that believed that her brother thought of them as incompetent. The other part of her was crushed. She almost wanted to laugh at herself for even trying to think that…

_**Think that he might have been worried… Rukia gritted her teeth. Damn right. As if he'd ever be worried for someone unrelated to him.**_

_**Why can't he believe us? **_

_**Why can't he see that I've grown enough, grown strong enough to be able to defeat hollows alone.**_

_**That I am strong enough to fight.**_

_**That Ichigo and Renji are both strong…**_

_**That…**_

Before Byakuya was able to speak, Rukia accidentally spoke her mind. "…We're competent…"

Byakuya was surprised. In the century that he and Rukia were together, she never spoke back at him. This was the first time and judging from her reaction, she didn't realize it either. Was it his statement that bought about this change in behavior? All he wanted to tell her was that, the mission given to them is difficult and it means that the court and Captain Yamamoto really trusts them that much to give them a mission such as this. He wanted to encourage her and this…

He did not know that she interpreted his statement this way. Was his statement really that negative?

Before he could conjure the next sentence that she would tell her she already had one from her side.

"Nii-sama, I'm really sorry. I was just trying to reassure myself for tomorrow's mission." Rukia defended herself immediately. It was obviously a cover-up and Byakuya was not one to fall for it.

Rukia did not know what came about her. She was surprised that the statement just came out of her mouth and when it did, no matter how soft it was said, she was 100 sure that her brother heard it clearly. She did not know what the cause was that she just had to blurt out something like that. She did not choose the appropriate situation and simply blurted it in front of none other than her brother.

She did not know what to do. What would happen to her? That was the ultimate sign of disrespect for the head of the clan. Answering back was a definite no-no. Perhaps the attitude of Renji and Ichigo was already rubbing on her. She could not help but feel embarrassed with her statement.

_**Damn! Tomorrow I'm going to hit those two hard that they would not remember their names! They're influencing me! And I really answered back! Oh my gosh!!**_

She did not even notice that Byakuya was looking at her the entire time. He simply sat there silently looking at her reprimand herself with her innocent remark. To be honest, to him, it was not really that big of a deal. She simply expressed her…thoughts. He sighed inwardly.

"I know you are competent." Byakuya remarked.

Rukia's eyes went wide. Her self-reprimand went to halt upon hearing her brother's statement. She glanced up with her eyes wide only to see Byakuya looking at her. She could feel her cheeks flushing while she gazed at her brother.

To be honest, it was the first time that she stared at her brother that way. The moment was perfect. His face was calm. His background was the bright light of the moon…the midnight sun as some people would call it. The gentle rustle of the leaves left a peaceful atmosphere between the two of them. She now knew why almost all the girls in the office were very much proud to admire the handsome features of her brother…

Her brother…

_**Oh my gosh…**_

_**That's right…**_

**_Kuchiki Byakuya is my brother! Rukia thought and a flustered expression arose as she scrambled to look at anywhere else except her brother…_**

_**Stupid stupid stupid! Finding your own brother attractive?! That was one hell of a joy ride! Ever heard of incest, idiot?!**_

Rukia almost felt like smacking herself hard on the head for a well deserved reprimand. Whose sister in their right mind would actually admit that they find their brother attractive…attractive for them?!

Those were some ill-ideas floating in her brain. Even though, they were not related, still…

Kuchiki Byakuya is still her brother-in-law.

Byakuya was at awe. At first he wanted to look at Rukia for the first time in years just to see if he could already accept her not as a promise to Hisana but as Rukia. When their eyes locked, he was surprised to see that…

She was beautiful.

And needless to say, that was uncalled for. Especially when the one that he was referring to is his sister-in-law. That was definitely way out of the bridge of contract between him and his wife. Simply uncalled for…

But she really was. When she looked at him, she appeared so different from Hisana. Hisana always looked at him in a pleading way, as if wanting to ask for help and support. This one…he really could not place the appropriate term, but it definitely was a breath of fresh air. It felt as if he would be happy to wake up every day just to see that look…

**_Okay. Hold that thought._**

Byakuya was out of words.

And he surmised, he really needed a break.

It was out of his league to think of his sister-in-law and to reiterate that sister-in-law, in ways a brother is allowed to think. He could not understand why he thought of her that way. Well, to be honest he knew. Perhaps that was the reason that each night when Rukia went out to go to the human world to do what they say, "reflect", he would follow her. He would stealth his spiritual energy and would stay a few meters away from her usual location, under that Cherry Blossom tree.

Captain Ukitake caught him during the time Rukia killed Kaien, her first kill. He watched the entire incident from afar and knew that his sister would be deeply troubled by that. He knew that she would be haunted by nightmares of Kaien and would find herself guilty even though she merely killed him because he was possessed by a Hollow.

He was, as Captain Ukitake called him…

_**A worried older brother…**_

**Older brother…**

Yes. He believed so himself. Until the days where he would start to appreciate how much she had grown. Well, not literally, but as a woman. She would not anymore play hide and seek with his subordinate, Renji. She would not run around the 13th District Headquarters and try to boss other people around just for play. Now, she would be more ladylike. She's more demure and more suitable to be called the lady of the house of the Kuchiki's.

That's right.

The lady of the house.

And this was simply one of the nights where she not only spoke and moved like the lady of the house…

But looked like one as well.

_**And again…I'm back to square one. I'm thinking she's beautiful again. Damn! I really need a break. **Byakuya thought._

It was a tense atmosphere. Who knew that whatever was tense before between the two of them would even be, if there was such a word, "tenser"? But it seems the atmosphere around them did not agree with her. It was doing nothing to alleviate what some people may call, "a romantic atmosphere". The midnight sun seems all set in illuminating the surroundings. Everything looks as if they are glistening crystals under the night sky. Cherry blossom petals tease them as they dance around the garden. The gentle night breeze softly hums a song for the two of them.

Get the point? Indeed the atmosphere was romantic…

But…

Romance was definitely not in place for the two of them.

It's simply impossible…

Right?

_**Is this de ja vu? How many times do I have to say impossible today? Rukia thought with a sigh.**_

But she knew she had to break this "tenser" between the two of them. She dusted her clothes, knelt down in front of Byakuya, which ultimately caught the other off-guard. She bowed her head in a kneeling position and spoke once again.

"Nii-sama, I would like to excuse myself. I might have to retire early and go to sleep. Forgive my rudeness." Rukia asked permission without even raising her head.

Byakuya debated if he was going to answer. He was simply out of words. He simply muttered an "uh" to acknowledge her request, which was not even an answer. "Uh" is not really part of the dictionary.

Rukia took it as an opportunity to leave. She quickly stood up and when she was far from sight, she ran straight to her room and closed the doors behind her. Byakuya was left in the courtyard to gaze at the beautiful surroundings. His face is unreadable. This time he could conjure a few words so he whispered it to the gentle breeze…

"Good night. Rukia."

* * *

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**MORE THAN WHAT MEETS THE EYE**

"_Chapter 3"_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and any of the characters. Some of the characters in this fanfiction are created for the purpose of creating a deeper plot. There may be some violent scenarios during the entire story. There is no yaoi, shounen-ai, or yuri in this story. Keep and open mind and read at your own risk.

Please read and review. Thank you!

* * *

_Imagine every day to be the last of a life surrounded with hopes, cares, angers, and fear. The hours that come unexpectedly will be much more grateful._

_- Horace -_

* * *

The three vice-captain death gods and one captain stood on top of Tokyo Tower. They scaled their surroundings in search for what they were looking for. Every thing in the city seems and appears to be normal. Buildings were standing tall and sturdy. Cars are going round about the streets. People are busy talking, going to their destinations, and other activities that they were doing. In short, everything appears to be normal.

Ichigo stood tall holding Zangetsu over his shoulder while scanning the area. He was not really an expert in sensing spiritual energy so he waited. Everyone in the Soul Society acknowledged his skills and his power as one that matches, if not surpasses, that of Zaraki Kenpachi and Kuchiki Byakuya. Though he knew that he lacked experience, he does have the power to match for it. And needless to say, having a master by the name of Urahara Kisuke was a bonus.

His orange fiery hair swayed with the wind as his eyes squinted against the light of the morning sun. His black clothes blended with his grayish scarf that Urahara Kisuke handed to him. According to his teacher, the scarf had special abilities. It has the capability to suppress excess spiritual energy, which is in the case of Ichigo, would be detrimental in doing missions. Having an infinite amount of energy that flows around him, makes him easily detected especially by hollows.

He stood tall on his Shinigami clothes beside his other companions. He agreed that he wanted to become a part time death god in order to protect the people that he cared for. At the same time, he wanted to spend more time with a certain shinigami. It was not really that obvious as Inoue told him. He appeared only some sort of protective brother over her at times, but when truth is told he really cared for her. And by caring, it meant, he really cared for her a lot.

When she told him that she wanted to stay in Soul Society after the Aizen incident, it broke his resolve. He felt like the world fell down on him and he lost her then. If he could have dragged her away from Soul Society right then and there, would things have been different? He honestly did not know that time was different in Soul Society. That indeed, eternity of youth was not a question for death gods…

If he would have asked her to come with him instead of her staying there, would they have been something more that they are right now? Would they have been more than friends instead of merely being comrades? Well, he was not the type of person who would cry over spilt milk. That was one of the reasons why he agreed to become a substitute shinigami. He wanted to build on what was left unsaid and create a deeper relationship. If only time would be on his side.

The second vice-captain, labeled as the strongest vice-captain of all, knelt down with his sword at hand. His spiky red hair slightly moved with the wind. His goggles placed conveniently on his head as he planned his course of action. He was known to act brashly over the years of being a vice-captain. But training under Kuchiki Byakuya helped him gain more composure and more restraint. He's more controlled instead of being wild in battle. His sword, Zabimaru, became a little bit tamer as well.

Even though time may have changed his habits, he still had this goal in mind. He wanted to defeat Kuchiki Byakuya. This mission that was given to him was almost proof to him that the court indeed trusted his capabilities in dealing with heavy missions. He probably felt like he was one of those second in rank that can be considered to become a captain someday. With that thought in mind, he indeed felt like he's coming closer to his goal of defeating his captain.

Why does he want to defeat Kuchiki Byakuya in the first place?

Perhaps, other people might see it as ingratitude to the person who taught you how to fight skillfully, but for him, it was his means of proving himself. Kuchiki Byakuya was and still is the person who stands in between him and the person the only person that he cared for. He took her away from him when they were in their early years of friendship. He took her away from him by taking her in their clan and making her his sister.

That much space was dealt between them that talking to his sister was almost impossible. To Renji, the act that Kuchiki Byakuya chose him to be under his division was an even more challenging task. He was placed under the supervision of the very person he wanted to defeat. It was like placing a leash on a dog's collar.

That's right. He became thoroughly limited by that action. But now that he's being given missions that did not involve his captain, he was indeed fortunate. He is now given the privilege of proving himself and making him worthy to take on a challenge by himself. This is like a plus point on his end.

Rukia on the other hand was silent. She felt as if there was nothing running through her mind. She simply stared out and tried to sense if there are enemies lurking around them. She held her sword tightly on one hand just in case a surprise attack happens. But, she just can't seem to concentrate.

Last night's events at the Kuchiki Household drove her instincts and her nerves haywire. She really could not sleep at all during that night and she was having an even more difficult time dealing with it as she left the house. When she came down her room, she was almost expecting that her brother would be there to see her off. But, she was surprised to see that he was not anywhere. She even tried to sense his spiritual energy, but none was felt.

He was no where around the house or anywhere nearby.

It was frustrating.

She even surprised herself by thinking that way because truth be told, she would have been happy before if she never saw him. But…

But now was different.

She did not know why…

But it was.

She was even hoping that he would come with them during this mission. But it seems that fate was not on her side to decide on these things. The captain that came with them is Hitsugaya. There he stood at the highest point of the tower sensing any nearby negative aura or anything similar to that of a hollow. It was not as if she was complaining. Captain Hitsugaya is a very competitive and powerful captain. He's young and very promising in his career as a captain. A lot claims that with the pace the young genius is in, he's probably going to follow the footsteps of the greatest captains of all the Gotei.

* * *

Ukitake grumbled under his breath. He was so frustrated. Although his plans were still in place by having Hitsugaya a part of that mission, that was not his ultimate goal. His goal was to make Kuchiki Byakuya part of that mission.

"And yet the stupid ass just had to stay here." Ukitake slammed his fists on his table and muttered a few bad words. He really felt that Byakuya should have been the one to go to that place instead of Hitsugaya.

Ukitake was stunned when the door suddenly opened. It revealed his two loyal group mates battle ready. Their soul slayers drawn and waiting to be called for.

"WHERE'S THE ENEMY?!" Kiyone and Sentarou entered the room, soul slayers drawn. "Captain, are you okay?!"

"Don't you dare hide from us you freakin' monsters! How dare you try and attack the captain?!" Sentarou shouted as if to intimidate an invisible enemy.

"What enemy?" Ukitake grumbled, still not in the mood to have any further discussion.

"But Captain, we heard a loud bang in the room and we thought that you were being attacked." Kiyone answered looking around the room still.

Ukitake sighed. Perhaps he was just getting too agitated about the occurrence for him to not notice that he probably is worrying some people already. He looked up his two loyal subordinates and smiled weakly.

"I'm really fine. You probably just heard me slamming my fists on my table. I'm sorry to have worried you." Ukitake explained to his subordinates who both sighed simultaneously.

"Hah! See! I told you it was nothing! The captain can never get himself in danger you know!" Sentarou pointed a finger at his partner.

"What? You were the one who was acting all worried and thinking that captain was being attacked!" Kiyone complained pointing an accusatory finger to her partner as well. She quickly faced her captain and continued, "I have never doubted your capabilities captain! I knew that you are always capable of dealing with many things and I never doubted your skills."

"What are you talking about Kiyone?" Ukitake wondered. **_Could it be?_**

"Because, captain, you might have interpreted our worry for you as something akin to incompetence. I mean, we were worried because we care for your well being, and I am your number one fan, and I really care for you that I am willing to die for you and…"

"That's it!" Ukitake stood up suddenly interrupting Kiyone's monologue.

"Yes, Captain! I do care…" Kiyone and Sentarou were surprised to see that the previously gloomy and moody captain quickly changed his mood into someone who's full of energy and very positive.

Captain Ukitake rushed to the side of his two loyal partners and placed a hand over their heads.

"The two of you have shared light into this dark day. Thank you."

Ukitake rushed out of the office leaving the two gawking.

* * *

Back at Tokyo, the atmosphere around the area did not change that much. There was still no menos grande to see and make their appearance and everything still seems to be normal. Ichigo already got tired of standing up and merely sat down beside Rukia who knelt gracefully. Renji now stood up and still kept on looking around for any feel of negative spiritual energy.

"I don't sense any hollow activity anywhere nearby." Histugaya jumped from his position and landed beside Rukia. "It appears to me that it's some sort of false alarm."

"Yeah, I had this distinct impression that menos grande would shower us with humongous amounts of negative energy. But right now, I can't feel even a static of negative energy." Renji muttered under his breath, feeling a bit disappointed.

"Che, you probably felt relieved that you didn't see one." Ichigo teased with his cocky grin.

"What did you say?" Renji grabbed Ichigo's collar.

"I said you should run back home with your tail in between your legs." Ichigo countered gritting his teeth as he spoke those words.

"And I say you cower back to your hiding place before I kill you." Renji threatened.

Hitsugaya observed them. It was this reason that he agreed to join this team. Aside from reasons of power, because all the three vice-captains have reached bankai level, this is the most active team, in terms of emotions. They never really cared if anyone labeled them as noisy or notorious.

This was the team that showed the most life. They were all lively and very much passionate about their tasks. It has been already an unspoken rule that members of different groups are not allowed to talk. Even though there is no written rule that explicitly says such, groups still avoided interaction between other groups.

But these three, they did not care. People still found them together, eating lunch, going out on rest days, and even going on their own night outs. They have been labeled as notorious and delinquents. For all they know, these three probably appreciate being called as such—or rather, the two men. Rukia was different. He saw her act with Byakuya and without her brother. Saying that is enough. She appears like two different people all at once.

**_Perhaps nobility does suck for people who simply want to live a free life. Hitsugaya thought to himself._**

"Captain, what do you propose we do about this situation?" Rukia asked looking at Hitsugaya. He simply stared at her for a while then let go of a sigh.

"Yeah, we have been waiting here for what seems like hours and nothing's happening!" Ichigo grumbled not even caring if he was talking to someone of higher rank.

"Well, I think we should go back. There's nothing much here. Seems like a false alarm to me." Renji muttered with a curse.

Hitsugaya somewhat agreed. He did not feel anything dangerous around the area and perhaps they were simply misled. Furthermore, what if the appearance was in another location? They would be four people short in the Soul Society. He agreed.

"Okay, let's go back and report the situation. We…"

Hitsugaya was cut short when they suddenly saw Rukia and Ichigo being smacked out of the tower and thrown down to the ground. Time seems to slow down when they saw the mask of the menos grande appear directly in front of them. Surprised was a word that seems to be an understatement during that moment. They were thrown into haywire.

Hitsugaya calmed himself and turned to the ground. He was surprised to see Renji shouting,

"Rukia! Ichigo!"

Hitsugaya summoned his soul slayer and stared at the enemy in front of him. He was a bit torn with his decision. He's not sure whether he should jump and rescue Rukia and Ichigo or face this enemy that stood in front of him.

The lack of negative energy a while ago was replaced by humongous negative aura. The clouds around them started to gather. The sky slowly got darker and the sun is being covered up by the clouds. It seems that the light is slowly vanishing and the enemy now stands in front of them. It was his fault that they were caught off guard. Now, all he has to do is trust his two other comrades that they are safe.

"Renji, don't turn your back from the enemy. Trust Ichigo and Rukia. They must be safe." Hitsugaya commanded knowing that the other vice-captain is worried for their other two partners.

Renji knew that the two were capable. But he really can't help himself but worry. But as a vice-captain, his duty comes ahead of him. He knew the weight of what Hitsugaya told him and he turned around unsheathing Zabimaru in the process.

"I understand, Captain Hitsugaya."

* * *

Ichigo was surprised. To say the least, he was caught off guard. Having being caught off-guard by something as big as that was amazing. But his senses caught up to him as he realized that they were falling from the tower. His eyes widened when he saw Rukia falling with him. Call it whatever other people call it be it pride or protectiveness, but his instincts kicked in and he grabbed Rukia into his arms while calling to his Bankai.

Being a speed demon, he manipulated the speed of his fall by turning around, doing a back flip and landing gracefully on the ground, still with Rukia in his arms. His embrace over her petite frame almost looked like his body was swallowing her under his black garments. His hand was under her head to assist her fall and to avoid any possible injuries.

He slowly lifted his face, glanced towards her to check if she had any injuries, and looked up where the menos grande stood. His eyes narrowed into slits as he saw tiny bits of ice falling from the top of the tower. He knew from then that Hitsugaya must have gone to Bankai level in order to fight this monster.

"Are you all right, Rukia?" Ichigo asked looking down at her, while she stood up still a bit surprised, not with falling down, but by how Ichigo took care of her.

She mutely nodded. This caused Ichigo to worry.

"Oi, are you sure? You got mute back there or something?" Ichigo raised his eyebrows. His statement meriting a blush and a punch in the face.

"You wish!" Rukia shouted back. _Damn…I'm blushing…_

Rukia was pulled out from her thoughts to see falling icicle debris from the top of the tower. She looked up to see Hitsugaya battling the menos grande alongside Renji. The enemy was big as it was the last time they saw one. Back then Ichigo slashed one of the menos grande and it retreated back to its world. But this time, she believes that this would not be the same as the last time.

"Rukia. I think that one held a grudge against you and me." Ichigo smirked. "It threw us away from the battlefield."

"You don't say." Rukia smirked back. "I guess even those kinds have grudges. You must have left some scar back then."

"Che!" Ichigo lifted his sword, slashed it down the side and laughed. "This time, there would be no scars. Rukia, let's go!"

Rukia nodded and followed Ichigo.

* * *

Histugaya felt blood trickle down his head when he was hit by the menos grande. He shook his head to regain his consciousness only to find himself on the ground already. Renji stood beside him, Bankai level, attempting to slash the menos grande. Hitsugaya reached for his sword and used it as leverage for him to stand up.

"Ren-ji." Hitsugaya muttered weakly noticing that his left side was bleeding profusely.

"Captain. Are you alright?" Renji asked. "That was some blow you took for me."

**_Blow? Hitsugaya could barely remember. _**"Ah, I'm fine. I can stand up. Help them."

Renji glanced at the wounded captain and proceeded to battle the enemy. He made sure that the captain is already standing up well enough to defend himself before he ran the side of his other two companions. Hitsugaya watched as Ichigo slashed the mask of the menos grande. His ultimate bankai level as a speed demon was definitely a plus for him. His quick abilities and powerful slashes merited him the title of ultimate bankai.

On the other hand, Rukia called upon her soul slayer and went into bankai mode. Her bankai was different and much like Ichigo except that everything about her is white. Ichigo appeared like a demon in his bankai mode. His black clothes and black sword, slashing fast and can run even faster made him look like a speed demon. Rukia looked like an angel. Her shinigami clothes transformed into a pure white kimono, her sword grew shorter but the range was wider, almost similar to an invisible sword.

Looking at them, it appeared like an angel and a demon fighting for one cause. His knees buckled as he tried to remember what happened to him and why he was on the ground. All he remembered was he tried to protect Renji by stepping in front of him as he was about to be hit by one of those negative energies expelled from the menos grande. Then everything went black after that.

He stood up and called upon his bankai. Ice wings grew from his back and there he stood staring coldly towards the menos grande. He realized that this one was quite strong and different from that of that they had faced before. It seems that Aizen also found ways to strengthen his army. That was one man he could never forgive. And one more thing that he could not forgive is the idea that these three vice-captains needed to protect him.

"Unforgivable." Hitsugaya muttered as he charged towards the enemy.

Renji pulled back his sword to gather up for the next attack. Ichigo on the other hand stood was slammed down and crashed a few meters away from him. Rukia kept on attacking the menos grande alongside Hitsugaya. Renji stared for a few seconds before muttering something.

"Let's take this thing down once and for all." Renji whispered to Ichigo, who's still on the ground.

Ichigo slowly rose up with a smirk. "Che, that thing will get a torn up by me! Damned menos grande feeling all mighty and powerful!"

"Heh, you were slammed down by that measly thing, what makes you think that you can take that down." Renji teased although he was fully aware of the capabilities of his comrade.

"Hah! That was pure luck." Ichigo glared at the enemy as he stood up. "I will cut that thing down."

Spiritual energy came to flow about Ichigo. Blue energy started to emulate from him and gather around him. His eyes glowed with the killing intent that he mustered as he stared at the menos grande. Renji nodded in affirmation of his desire to destroy that thing. His aura started to gather as well—his bankai energy increasing to almost a different level.

Rukia landed beside them as well knowing full well what their intentions are. They plan to take this enemy down in one hit. Her eyes glowed as well in concentration of her energy.

"Let's finish this." Rukia commanded and the two nodded.

Hitsugaya jumped away from the scene but prepared himself for a second attack just in case. The three vice-captains combined jumped off and started their attack. Renji coming first, Rukia next, and Ichigo came last when all of a sudden…

There was blood.

Hitsugaya was dumbfounded.

There stood the three captains who betrayed them. The menos grande was no where in sight and only Aizen, Ichimaru, and Tousen stood there, all their swords drawn. Ichimaru's blade found itself comfortable skewed into Rukia's body. He struck her at the back and the sword crossed her body. Blood covered her beautiful white robes. Her blue eyes wide in shock upon seeing Ichimaru's face only but a few inches away from hers.

"Ah, I've always wanted to do this." Ichimaru grinned at her helpless face as he dug his sword deeper into her petite form.

Renji was struck at the back and now fell on the ground. His head turned around to see Tousen's sword dripping with blood. If Tousen had eyesight, he would be looking straight at him. Renji could barely move from his position not only because of his would, but also because of his shock.

"T-tousen…" Renji muttered weakly.

"You can't move. I struck you with this sword." Tousen showed him the purple sword that he wields.

Ichigo on the other hand, was struck by Aizen. Aizen smile never faded as he observed where his sword struck his opponent. On the other hand, Ichigo's shock was marked all over his face. Aizen twisted his sword and pulled it out none too gently. Blood scattered from the wound as Ichigo fell down to the ground, his body over a pool of his own blood. Aizen swished his sword to the side and smirked.

"Long time no see, ryouka-boy." Aizen grinned. "I see you're still no different than the person that I met the last time. Still rowdy, boisterous, and down right all talk."

Ichigo's body shook at the sound of his voice. Every time he remembers the incident, feelings of regret, guilt, and anger stirred inside him. He could not help but feel angry with what happened during that time. It was annoying to think that they were all simply pawns to his great scheme.

"A---Aizen!" Ichigo muttered through gritted teeth. He struggled to stand up only to fall down once more.

"Oops. I forgot to tell you. I struck the nerve which controls movement. So you'd be laying down there for a while." Aizen informed him. He knelt down and grabbed Ichigo's hair and pulled his head up.

Ichigo could see the face of Aizen. He wanted so much to move, but to his frustration, his body could not. All movement in his body ceased. He could not move his fingers, his body, and his arms. He could not even sense if his eyes were blinking. It was as if everything in his body was paralyzed.

"Oh don't you worry." Aizen grinned. "You're only temporarily paralyzed. I just don't want you interfering with my plans. And when you find out what I did to you, you'd be thankful that I shut down your senses for you."

He dropped Ichigo's head none too gently and proceeded to where the others are. He stopped towards Renji, who lay down on the ground as well. He smiled gently to Renji.

"I trust you find that place very comfortable." Aizen teased. He knelt down and pulled up Renji's head so that they would be looking at each other. "You still are weak, boy. Your dreams and goals of defeating that person are still too far off."

"Cap-captain Aizen…" Renji growled. "You basta"

Renji was cut off when Tousen kicked him away. His body rolling over and over again almost a few meters from Ichigo. His body slammed on the pavement and he felt a shot of pain on his knees. Blood came out of his mouth and he coughed out more in the process.

Aizen glared at the two vice-captains. His eyes darted away when he saw a sword almost near his face. He caught it easily and looked at the bearer who stood beside him. White pointed hair and ice cold blue eyes stared at him. If looks could kill, he would have been dead by now.

"Aizen." The words came out from Hitsugaya. It was cold and full of vengeance. "I'll kill you."

"You told me that the last time. And if I remember what happened, you were the one that almost got killed by me." Aizen teased. "Surely, you don't believe what you just said."

But to his surprise, the sword rushed to him and cut him on the cheek. Blood dripped down to his chin and Hitsugaya stared at him.

"I have grown stronger Aizen. You will pay. You will atone for the sins that you have done not only to my comrades but most especially to Hinamori." Hitsugaya challenged.

Aizen smiled. His smile was cold and evil. His eyes glowed as his hand traced the wound that was done to his cheek. He looked at his hand, which was full of his own blood and then to Hitsugaya. His smile never leaving his face as he licked his hand off his blood.

"Goodness, you wounded me." Aizen complimented Hitsugaya. "It seems you've grown boy."

But it was not enough. Aizen's sword dug itself to Hitsugaya and blood came out from him. It was almost as if the scenario the previous time simply repeated itself. This time, three sword wounds could be found on Hitsugaya's body. There was one near his neck as blood deftly came gushing out. Another was found in his abdomen. The last one was at his chest. He fell down face front and his eyes wide in shock. Aizen stood over his unconscious form still finding himself amused with the blood on his cheek.

"You may have gotten stronger, Hitsugaya, but you're still far too weak for me." Aizen smirked. His eyes then darted to Rukia. "Ah, the purpose of my journey."

Ichigo shivered. He felt the energy of Renji. But the redhead is unconscious. Hitsugaya was knocked out in three slashes and he could not move. He was paralyzed. Even if he willed it, he simply cannot move at all. He felt angry and frustrated. He felt helpless. That crazy bastard was going for Rukia and here he is sprawled on the ground, helpless.

_**Goddamn it! Ichigo thought. Move! Move!**_

_Ichigo…_

_**Zangetsu! Move! Move! Ichigo shouted in his head. He wished so much that he could move. That he could run there as fast as he could to save Rukia. But his body simply cannot move.**_

_Ichigo…_

_**Rukia! Rukia! Damn it! I have to protect her! I have to save her! Rukia! Rukia!**_

Rukia felt cold. She watched as time slowly came to pass. She could see everything in slow motion. From the time that she was stabbed by Ichimaru Gin, to the moment that she fell down on the ground kneeling. She felt the blood run out of her body into her white garments. She watched helplessly as Renji and Ichigo was stabbed almost to the death by Aizen and Tousen. She saw how Aizen broke Hitsugaya's wings.

And now…

She's watching him come near her.

He's near…

He's about to kill her…

He's…

"…About to kill you?" Aizen was already in front of her. His fingers on her chin. He raised her chin up so that they would be looking at each other eye to eye. He noticed that the blade still rests on her body. "Gin, that's very rude. Pull that sword out of her already."

"As you wish." Gin smirked and pulled it quickly. Blood gushed out and she could not even scream because of the pain. Blood came out not only from the wound but also from her lips. Aizen removed a trace of it and looked at her.

"Rukia-chan. I'm definitely not here to kill you." Aizen smirked. "You still have a purpose for my plan. Urahara Kisuke was a very smart man to do this."

Rukia's eyes went blank. All she could really think about at that moment was her comrades. She needed to find a way to save them. She needed to find a way to contact the 4th group and help them. But how…she did not know.

"About your friends…" Aizen whispered. "Don't worry. I didn't kill them. I only wounded them so badly that they would have wished that they were dead."

"The soul society never did change. They were still easily fooled." Ichimaru laughed. The mere sound of Ichimaru's voice sent chills down Rukia's spine.

"Indeed. Upon simply hearing the news of a menos grande, they willingly sent powerful warriors. Of course, they wanted to hide their asses back in their offices and let other take care of the dirty job." Aizen smirked, brushing Rukia's hair from her face. "By the way, Rukia-chan, good job in getting to Bankai level."

Aizen, Gin, and Tousen jumped away from her. She still sat there in her kneeling position, trying to stand brave amidst the mixture of fear and anger inside her started to boil. Aizen laughed.

"I know you probably realized it already Rukia-chan." Ichimaru spoke once more before they left.

Ichigo stared at the scene in front of him. Rukia was there, looking at him with blank eyes. Her white kimono drenched in cold red blood. Her sword lay in her hands. Her porcelain skin glistened around her and the ice made the scene look unearthly. Her body was covered with her own blood. He glanced around, he saw that everything around him was covered in red. Blood was all over the place.

But he only had his eyes focused on one. One person…

_**I have to stand up…**_

_**Rukia…**_

"Ru—rukia…" Ichigo muttered weakly, he tried to stand up but he was surprised to see blades on his body. He did not see it at all. The reason why he could not move…

"Ichi—go…" Rukia muttered weakly. She saw that one. She saw that the move that Aizen did to Ichigo to bind him from moving was to stab him with ten small wakizashis and pin him down to the ground. The illusion power of his sword made it appear as if nothing really hit him. But in reality, 10 swords are on Ichigo.

Ichigo felt the pain shoot up from all corners of his body. He could not feel his legs, his eye sight was getting weaker and he could feel that he's already losing consciousness. But…

What will happen to them…

What will happen to her?

"Ichigo…don't e—even try to move…" Rukia panted. Her breath was short. She needed so much effort to talk. "..one step from…t—there. If you do—I'll –I'll never…fo—forgive…you…"

Suddenly his breath was taken from him when Rukia fell down to the ground.

"**RUKIA!"**

* * *

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**MORE THAN WHAT MEETS THE EYE**

"_Chapter 4"_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and any of the characters. Some of the characters in this fanfiction are created for the purpose of creating a deeper plot. There may be some violent scenarios during the entire story. There is no yaoi, shounen-ai, or yuri in this story. Keep and open mind and read at your own risk.

Please read and review. Thank you!

I would really appreciate those who review. It would help me improve my story and would also help me in creating my chapters. I am new in writing fanfiction for Bleach and I would appreciate help from those who wrote more.

Thank you in advance! ;)

* * *

_The soul of conversation is sympathy._

_- Thomas Campbell -_

_

* * *

_

It was like a blur.

Everything happened so fast.

The alarms of Soul Society sounded and everyone was up to their toes. It was not an alarm of warning but it was the alarm that was set-off by the fourth division whenever there were shinigamis that met a bad fortune. Every time there were bad occurrences, near death experiences, and life threatening diseases, that specific alarm was set.

Shinigamis from all the divisions ran across the hall. Even amidst the panic, some really cannot get rid of the habit of talking to each other. Gossips were heard. Rumors were spread. And to be honest, in times of trouble, rumors were probably everyone's worst enemy.

_I heard that they found dead shinigami bodies at the human world…_

_Eh? But I thought that they picked up Urahara Kisuke's body from the human world…_

_Are you crazy? That's impossible! Urahara Kisuke? Dead?_

_Well, this was what I heard. It seems that the mission about the Menos Grande was…_

_You don't say…_

_What happened to Captain Hitsugaya?_

_I heard that he was torn apart. I think he's dead._

_What? Wah! Not Hitsugaya-sama!_

_Well, I heard Abarai Renji's arm was torn apart from him and he won't be able to wield a sword if ever he comes out alive…_

_Oh no, what would happen to the 6th division? What did Captain Kuchiki say?_

_Ha! I believe he wouldn't say anything._

_Well, wait till he hears that Kuchiki Rukia's dead!_

_What? Rukia-chan?!_

_Yeah and Ichigo died protecting her. Isn't that romantic?_

_What? Kurosaki-san died too?_

It was simply deafening to hear such ill-rumors. Everyone had their own ideas on what happened during the mission. Majority of the rumors going around the office was about the four being dead. It was not pleasant to hear on the side of those related to them, namely the captains of the first, sixth, eleventh, and thirteenth divisions.

Everyone in the fourth division gathered around outside the hall to meet their captain. Captain Unohana stood there waiting for her team as she calmed herself down and prepared herself to deliver the news. She stood there with her soul slayer. Her face unreadable and devoid with any expression she started,

"Gather all the stretchers. We need all the medicines, bandages…" Unohana ordered.

Everyone near the area ran as fast as they could to meet the errands. Stretchers, bandages were almost seen flying across the area in their hurried fancy. The captains of the first, sixth, eleventh, and thirteenth division arrived at the scene. They noticed how hurried everyone were and simply stood near the area where the fourth division captain stayed.

"Captain Unohana. What seems to be the matter?" Captain Yamamoto asked. He saw a lot of people running around the area, placing four stretchers in the corner, along with several boxes of bandages. "It seems that there is an emergency."

Even though they already had an idea, thanks to the rumors going around the office, of what happened and what is causing this commotion, they still wanted to verify the "information".

"Yes." Unohana replied. Her face still cold and devoid of any emotion except what may be seen as a sign of worry, "As a matter of fact, it's simply appropriate that the captains are here."

"What's wrong?" Ukitake inquired.

To be honest, he was feeling a bit restless and the commotion and panic going around Soul Society was not helping him be calm at all. He did not receive any feedback from the mission from Hitsugaya or his vice-captain and he's very much worried.

"Seems to me as if you're preparing to receive caskets or dead bodies..." Zaraki Kenpachi teased looking at his surroundings. "I haven't seen this much bandages since I got sliced and diced by Ichigo."

"Ken-chan, that's not a nice joke." Yachiru scolded sensing that the other captains got tense with his "prudent" remark.

"Heh, I was just making the atmosphere a little lighter…" Zaraki muttered so that only Yachiru would hear.

Unohana was silent for a few moments before she started to speak once more. She was almost staring straight to the eyes of Kuchiki Byakuya as she spoke. The 6th Division captain was still silent or rather was too distracted to even notice her looking at him.

"The mission was a disaster. Captain Yamamoto, it was simply fortunate that Urahara Kisuke was able to contact me immediately. If not, I would not even want to think of the consequences." Unohana replied.

"I do not understand, Captain Unohana. What does Urahara Kisuke have to do with this emergency? Perhaps you would like to elaborate." Captain Yamamoto spoke. He was not sure about the details and it is not safe to assume or become too presumptuous about the situation.

"It seems that the Menos Grande was a trap." Unohana answered. Her reply sent chills down the spine of the captains. And by the looks of their expressions, they were not very thrilled about the news. Unohana continued, "Urahara Kisuke, contacted me immediately when he arrived at the scene. He told me that he could not do anything with the kind of injury the…the…appointed death gods received."

* * *

_Captain Unohana arrived at the scene. She saw Captain Hitsugaya lying on a pool of his blood, icicles lay near his body. His blue eyes wide open in what appears to be shock. His sword still lay down near his fallen body. His white clothes tainted with red._

"_Captain Hitsugaya!" Unohana ran towards the fallen captain. She glared at Urahara Kisuke. "What is the meaning of this Urahara Kisuke? How dare you?!"_

"_Look, don't assume things that you do not have any idea of. Do you think I'm stupid enough to call you if I tried to kill them?" Kisuke countered while adding a shrug to elaborate his drama._

_He looked around and then focused his eyes on the 4th division captain._

"_I got here a little too late." Urahara's voice was deep with remorse. "I sensed their energy but I was too late to face him."_

"_Him?" Unohana started the initial healing procedures to Hitsugaya's body. "What do you mean?"_

"_They were here. It was a trap set by them Captain Unohana." Urahara Kisuke went to Kurosaki Ichigo's body. What Unohana saw was simply unfathomable._

_Kurosaki Ichigo was covered with blades. His back appeared like it grew 10 wakizashis. _

"_Oh my goodness…" Unohana knelt beside the fallen captain and went immediately to search for a pulse. She was greatly relieved to find one. "This is terrible."_

_Urahara Kisuke started to pull out the blades, as gently as he could. He knew that even though this guy was unconscious, there is still pain in pulling out these things from someone's body. He looked like a pin cushion, only this time, the pins were wakizashis and the cushion was a human body._

"_I'm relieved to know that he is alive." Urahara sighed. "When I saw him from afar, I really thought he was dead. But I saw him… he was crawling towards Rukia-chan…"_

"_Rukia-chan?" Unohana followed Urahara's train of sight to see Rukia's body sprawled on the ground. Her white kimono drenched in her own blood and a few ice waters. _

_She ran towards her after healing the deep wounds of Kurosaki Ichigo. She turned her around only to see that the wound drove across her. It only meant that the sword went through her small body._

"_Byakuya-boy would have their head for this." Urahara wanted to smile but he couldn't. Because he knew. He knew somehow why they set up a trap for them. He knew why they wanted Rukia so much._

_He knew, because he did it. He was the one who made Rukia the reason why…_

_Aizen…_

_Can never be a god._

"_Kisuke. It seems that Rukia-chan's wounds are not going to be healed easily." Unohana whispered in the air. _

_**I know. **Urahara thought. "Abarai-kun needs to be treated also."_

_Unohana gently placed down Rukia's body and went to Renji. His body leaned on one of the steel posts. He did not look like he received any fatal sword wound, but he did receive a fatal "injection" or an overdose of poison. Unohana quickly sipped into the bottle of antidote and kissed Abarai Renji. It was the quickest way to give antidotes, especially during ancient times._

_She pulled away after emptying the bottle and proceeded to heal his sword wound._

"_Is he going to be alive?" Urahara asked quite frankly._

"_Yes. Hitsugaya-kun, Abarai-kun, and Kurosaki-kun will all be safe. As per Kuchiki-san…" Unohana looked at Rukia. It was the only wound that she could not superficially close._

"_I will take care of it." Urahara injected. He knelt down and took out a gem. He placed it on his hand and muttered a few incantations before a white light emulated from the gem. He placed his hand over the wound and slowly but surely the wound started to close, even a little bit._

_Unohana stared at him. Indeed, Urahara Kisuke deserves the title as the Shinigami-Alchemist. He was the person who created the Philosopher's Stone. The person that created that thing that combines a hollow and a death god, which was thought to be impossible. And now this…_

"_Rukia-chan…I've done so much evil things to you…" Urahara whispered. Unohana thought that she was simply imagining things. After a few moments, he stood up and gave the stone to Captain Unohana. "This is the only thing that could heal her wounds. Use this every time she's in danger."_

_Unohana nodded and watched the Shinigami-Alchemist leave._

* * *

The captains were silent. They really did not know what to say. The reappearance of Urahara Kisuke, the mission being a trap and most of all the injuries that the death gods received…

"I have taken them from the human world and back here. I just needed the proper locations and medical supplies before I take them out of my soul slayer." She touched her soul slayer and everyone stared at Captain Hitsugaya.

"Hitsugaya-kun!" Hinamori ran to his side. She could not even get near him. "What happened to him?!"

Hitsugaya was not in a really good shape. His garments were torn in several areas. His shoulder appears to be dislocated and blood was all over his body. His eyes were closed but there was still a sign of life. He was still breathing.

"That kid looked like he took a bath in his own blood." Zaraki joked about. He did not know what else to say. The atmosphere around them was too heavy and seeing that vice-captain of former captain Aizen crying as she followed the stretcher where Hitsugaya lay, did nothing to alleviate the atmosphere at all.

"Captain Hitsugaya appears to be in a really bad condition. Was the menos grande that difficult to defeat?" Captain Yamamoto asked, his voice loud enough only for the captains to hear.

"Hurry. Take him to the fourth division medic room." Unohana pointed towards her subordinates. She stared at the Hitsugaya's form and gave them a report. "It seems that he was attacked three times judging from the wound that he received. He has a deep shoulder wound, almost near the neck, a slash in his abdomen and another at the back."

"And I believe, menos grandes do not wield swords." Kuchiki Byakuya added. This was his way of commending Hitsugaya.

Some of the medics started to do healing magic just to close some of the wounds. They needed to do that if they have intentions of actually making him live longer. Hinamori and the vice-captain of Hitsugaya followed the medics.

Renji was next. His body appeared to be blue in some parts. He had a big sword wound at his back. Byakuya was surprised. He felt this tightening around his chest. True enough, he was not related to Abarai Renji. But he considered this person as one of the people that he could rely on. Delinquent, noisy, and loud as he may be, Abarai Renji is a very reliable man.

"Captain Kuchiki. Abarai Renji's injuries were caused by a blade coated with poison. It's fortunate that we have the antidote for that specific poison stored here in our medical office." A 4th squad member informed the captain of the 6th division.

"He did not receive a fatal injury. That in itself is something that we should be grateful for. Abarai-kun's condition is attributable to the poison that's in his body now. We will simply inject the antidote to counter the poison and we can assure you that he would be fine." Unohana assured the captain, who simply nodded.

Byakuya went near Renji's unconscious form and stared at him for a few moments before motioning for them to send him to the medical room. To the other shinigamis, he acted cold. But to the captains, they knew that this was his way of expressing his concern for his subordinates. He might not be that expressive when it came to feelings and emotions, but he's human. He has the capability to feel and sense emotions.

After a few moments, Ichigo came out. Surprisingly, he's still in bankai-mode. His clothes still retain the all black color whence his sword still appears to be his bankai-sword. Zaraki had to refrain himself from laughing out loud because he was simply impressed with his self-professed rival. Even though his rival was unconscious, he still has the spiritual energy to keep him in bankai mode. How utterly fascinating!

"Icchy!" Yachiru rushed to the side of her friend and looked up to Unohana. "Will he be alright?"

"Man, he looked like he went through a shredder." Zaraki winced at how Ichigo looked.

Unohana glanced at the unconscious form of Kurosaki Ichigo before answering the question being raised.

"It seems he suffered the most injuries among the men. When we found him, he has ten wakizashis embedded at his back and another sword cut in his chest that went through his body." Unohana informed them. "It was a shock to find him then, still breathing. I was almost certain that any one in the category of being normal would have been dead."

"But he's breathing!" Yachiru's eyes were almost what they call teary. For her, Ichigo was her second best friend next to Zaraki Kenpachi. "Neh, neh, Ken-chan! Icchy will be okay right? Right?"

"He doesn't die easily, idiot." Zaraki assured his partner. "If he does, he'd be a full-time death god."

Yachiru didn't appear 100 convinced but she let the medics take the unconscious boy. He followed them suit. It seems that she was more worried than what she bargained for. Unohana, faced the captains and sighed.

"I am amazed with Kurosaki-kun's healing abilities. It seems that it is also part of the skills of his soul slayer. He has innate skills of healing that when we found him, some of his shallower wounds were already healed."

"I can see as much." Captain Yamamoto agreed. "I believe that my vice-captain will be alright."

Unohana nodded. "That I am quite sure of. But…"

Before she could continue, Rukia's unconscious form emerged. Ukitake immediately went to her. He knelt down beside her and saw how much blood there is around her body. Zaraki Kenpachi also noticed one similar thing with Rukia and Ichigo.

"This kid also retained her bankai form." Zaraki Kenpachi commended. "Means your little sister's powerful, Kuchiki."

But Byakuya was not paying attention.

He was torn. He felt like all the air was gone. He saw no one and only Rukia's body in front of him. He never saw her in this form. She was soaked in blood. Her white kimono appeared red with so much blood coming out of her. An open wound cut through her, from her back to her abdomen. Her eyes are closed and did not seem like they were going to open themselves soon.

He felt utterly helpless.

He felt furious.

He felt guilty.

He did not know that he was walking towards his sister as he knelt down beside the unconscious form of Kuchiki Rukia. Everyone was surprised with his actions, especially the lower-ranked shinigamis. For everyone, he was one of the people who agreed to place her in the death row. He willingly took the task of taking her back from the human world only to sentence her to death. He did not even bother appealing to the court to decrease her sentence. And now, here he was, kneeling beside the body of his sister, looking as if he's about to cry.

But he was not really going to cry.

He was Kuchiki Byakuya.

And he does not cry in public.

At least not in public…

"Captain Unohana…" Ukitake muttered weakly as he gazed at the siblings in front of him. He wanted to run to her side too but he knew that between the two of them, Byakuya felt the most pain right now.

"Rukia-chan appears to be stabbed by…"

"Ichimaru Gin…" Byakuya replied. "This is a sword wound done by Ichimaru Gin."

His voice was deep. It was dripping with anger and vengeance. It sounded that if Ichimaru Gin was there, with a mere blink of an eye, he would have been decapitated.

"Oi, oi…" Zaraki felt the killing desire emulating from the 6th division captain. For Zaraki, there were only two people he respected in fighting for two different reasons. Kurosaki Ichigo is one of them and the other is Kuchiki Byakuya. He respected Ichigo for his passion and his drive to fight. Ichigo is well known for his power and his learning abilities. But when it comes to experience, skill, and fighting ability, Kuchiki Byakuya is in a different level.

"Captain Kuchiki…" Captain Yamamoto muttered. He knew about Byakuya's hidden emotions. Kuchiki Byakuya may appear cold to people, but he cares a lot for Kuchiki Rukia. The degree of how much he cares, he doesn't know. All he knows is that, Kuchiki Byakuya would kill for Kuchiki Rukia.

Unohana was unsure if she should continue but she decided that it was her duty to inform them. "Kuchiki Rukia's condition seems to be the most fatal. She was stabbed in one area, but it seems that the location of the cut was delicate. Several nerves were damaged and some were…" She swallowed, "…torn apart. I'm not certain of…"

"You have to be!" Ukitake cut her statement. "Kuchiki Rukia is not to die!"

Ukitake looked pale. If he had pale skin to start with, he even looked paler this time. He blamed himself. He had doubts if he would send her to this mission or not, but he was confident with her skill. He knew that she would be able to handle a menos grande or two. But this…

He did not anticipate that this would have been a trap set by Aizen and his group. It was definitely something that made him feel incompetent as a captain. He saw how Shiba Kaien died. He watched as Shiba Kaien's wife died. And now…

He really can't bear seeing Kuchiki Rukia dying in front of him.

No.

It's simply unacceptable.

"She will not die, Captain Unohana." Captain Yamamoto assured them. "Kuchiki Rukia is from the Kuchiki clan, a noble clan of warriors. She will not die. Rest assured Captain Ukitake and…Captain Kuchiki."

There was a pause.

"Believe in her." Zaraki continued. "The kid may seem too small for my tastes, but I can sense that she's strong. And I never make mistakes in my judgment when it comes to being strong."

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes: Please read and review. This chapter may appear shorter but I'm writing as ideas come into my mind. Hehe, this was definitely a story that I can call as "impromptu" story. Hope you liked my story and this chapter even though its short. In case you might be interested, feel free to read my other stories too. Thank you!


	6. Chapter 6

**MORE THAN WHAT MEETS THE EYE**

"_Chapter 5"

* * *

_

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and any of the characters. Some of the characters in this fanfiction are created for the purpose of creating a deeper plot. There may be some violent scenarios during the entire story. There is no yaoi, shounen-ai, or yuri in this story. Keep and open mind and read at your own risk.

Please read and review. Thank you!

Thank you for those who have reviewed the previous chapters. I deeply appreciate all the help that I could get. Please continue to review. I am really encouraged to write because of the reviews that I get.

* * *

Unrest of spirit is a mark of life; one problem after another presents itself and in the solving of them we can find our greatest pleasure.

**  
- Kal Menninger -

* * *

**

_Ouch…_

_It feels like a truck ran past me three times going back and forth…_

_Better yet…_

_I felt like I got through a shredder…_

Ichigo slowly opened his eyes almost muttering a curse as he felt pain shoot through his spine. He couldn't really feel his legs or his arms. It's almost like he's in some sort of astral projection where the main ingredient is pain. His eyes winced at the bright light that greeted him. It seems so long since he saw this kind of light.

He observed the curtains swing in front of him as if to greet him a fair morning. Well, it wasn't really that fair to him. His body is screaming of pain and that's really not synonymous to a morning being "fair". He wanted to stand up, but he could not. He wanted to turn his head to the side, but he really could not move or budge even for just an inch.

_This really…_

_This is really…_

_Annoying…_

He gritted his teeth in utter annoyance. This has been the nth time that he's been injured to near death. But there was never a time in the previous near death experiences that he was feeling this much pain. It's almost like he's lying in a bed of blades—no pun intended. He closed his eyes to muster enough strength to try it once more. He really wanted to sit up. He wanted to do something really important. He really needed to go…

But…

He was quite aware that he was not able to move. So he used the next best thing, he tried to sense anyone who's remotely near the area. He tried what he knew was impossible for him. He tried to sense spirit energy nearby. For Ichigo, that was a difficult feat. He never really learned how to do that.

_Well better start now._

He tried to concentrate.

He really did.

But…

He was rudely interrupted.

"You don't need to do that."

A voice interrupted his concentration. His eyes shot open and the first thing that he saw was long raven hair. He did not need to know who it was. His body screamed the person's name already. They type of scream that meant…

Kuchiki Byakuya.

The hell!

What's that guy doing anywhere near him?

Ichigo had to muster enough respect, if ever he had any for the guy, not to curse, growl, or any such negative expression to show his dislike that he was near the area. But, really, he needed someone around right now and well, he's the only one readily available. He reopened his eyes, to see Byakuya not even moving an inch and still staring / glaring at him--intensely.

"What?! Got something on my face?" Ichigo growled. He never really liked being stared at. "You glare at me as if you're surprised that I'm alive."

There was a dramatic pause before the captain spoke.

"I'm just amazed." Byakuya remarked, still staring.

"What?!" Ichigo was caught off guard by that.

The end of the world is really near. Kuchiki Byakuya just told him that he's amazed at him. Well, wasn't that something out of the ordinary? His sworn rival, the person that he almost really wanted to kill when he first visited the Soul Society, just told him, while rudely staring at him, that he was amazed.

Soon, Renji will be hailed as the next leader of Soul Society.

Or…

Better yet, Zaraki Kenpachi would be afraid to wield a sword.

Ichigo thought he was merely hearing things.

_Perhaps during that last battle, my sense of hearing got severed. Ichigo thought. _His thoughts were interrupted as Kuchiki Byakuya continued his statement.

"…Amazed that you're still alive…" Byakuya continued. "…after being almost considered…dead..."

_Ah…Ichigo almost sighed. He really thought it was the end of the world. Good thing it was a false alarm. But right now, there's one goal in his mind. He has no intentions of letting this annoying man in the same room with him any longer._

"Do you need something? Or perhaps you got lost somewhere…" Ichigo grunted trying to look at the 6th division captain in the face, but gave up since pain just shoots up everywhere every single time he tries to move. _Damn, can't move…_

"None. I came by to see if you're still breathing." Byakuya replied coldly.

"Harharhar…I'm laughing so hard I think I'm dying." Ichigo replied sarcastically. "Look here. If you came to annoy me, try again. I'm far too annoyed already to begin with."

Byakuya remained cold and uncaring. To Ichigo, that only multiplied his frustrations.

"Look here, CAPTAIN. I'ming alive. And I'm pretty sure that you're pretty damned happy with that. So get it?" Ichigo growled. "Leave me alone."

Still, the captain did not speak. And the impulsive, aggressive, frustrated, angry, etcetera orange haired boy almost wanted to pounce on him—if he could. He settled for letting go of biting words instead.

"Don't waste your time on me Captain Kuchiki." Ichigo glared at the raven haired man.

Finally, the captain spoke.

"I have no intentions of wasting my time on you." Byakuya countered. "I was asked to do this. Don't you ever think that I am doing this in my own free will? I have far more important things to do."

Well, Ichigo was not really gonna be a pushover…

"Ha, well to commend you CAPTAIN, that's the most sentences that you told me. The last time we talked it was full of ouches and cries of pain, coming from your end." Ichigo argued or teased, whichever is a better description.

If Byakuya was a normal person, he would have reacted negatively about Ichigo's statement. It is simply fortunate that he isn't really NORMAL. He simply gave a shrug and proceeded to turn around. Ichigo remained unmoving and even unnerved that the other one is already leaving the room. The orange-haired shinigami had a lot of things going on his head…

Byakuya paused. He looked as if he was trying to think of something. Somehow, on Byakuya's side, he felt like this was something that was told by someone else except him. But, no one really wanted to do it and they all told him that he's the best person to do so. However, even though he really wasn't friends with this boy, he—even though he does not admit it—respects this boy. And believe it or not, this statement that's coming from him is difficult to say.

Ichigo was not being helpful by being impatient.

Well…

It's now or never.

"You're not going to be walking for a while." Byakuya informed him. As cold and uncaring as he really could.

Then the impossible happened.

Ichigo was silent.

Byakuya took this as his moment to continue.

"The injuries that you received were not somewhere near being simple. It took a lot from Captain Unohana. Even with her healing abilities, it was all she could do." Byakuya stared at Ichigo.

Still, the boy didn't speak.

"Renji. He won't be doing any missions for a few months." The raven haired captain added.

"Rukia…" Ichigo asked, though it was almost similar to a whisper, the raven haired captain heard it clearly.

There was silence. It wasn't something very comfortable for two mortal enemies to have. Not only because of the history behind the two of them, being enemies, rivals, and all, it's also because of Rukia. They started on the wrong foot, and Ichigo and Byakuya knew that it would never start on the right one.

But, he needed to know her status.

He's not too cold hearted not to let him know. Byakuya knew that this boy…cared deeply for Rukia. Somehow, the idea was not pleasant for him to realize, but out of sheer respect, he wanted to tell him about Rukia. About how she was doing for the past weeks…

About…

No.

Byakuya decided that now was not the right time.

"She's still asleep." Byakuya answered. "For already two weeks."

"Two weeks. It's been that long huh…" Ichigo muttered, not really to his companion, but to himself. He did not know what to feel. It seems that he won't be taking any long strides anytime soon.

Truth be told, he felt that it would have been the case. When he woke up, he already knew that either he's completely paralyzed like a vegetable, or simply decapitated with all his arms and legs. He was happy enough to see that the rest of his body parts are still intact.

He was more concerned for his comrades.

About Renji, even though they were not really that buddy-buddy with each other in the sense that he's gonna cry on his shoulder, he cared for the guy as a really good friend. Knowing that his friend won't be fighting for some time, made him feel guilty, even for just a bit.

And Rukia…

He again…

Failed to protect her…

_Damn…

* * *

_

Byakuya stood there looking at Ichigo's form. After telling him the news about Rukia and Renji, he knew that the orange-haired shinigami would be affected by it. Even though he did not appreciate the friendship between the three, he never really made a move to separate them. He knew that they already created a bond between the three of them. Even though at times, Rukia would deny that she treats the two other shinigamis as friends, it was pretty obvious that they were a tandem…a team.

And somehow, it was painful to be the bearer of bad news.

_The captains stood in the room of Kurosaki Ichigo, Abarai Renji, Kuchiki Rukia, and Captain Histugaya. The fourth division opted to place the four injured death gods in one room. Aside from it being convenient for the doctors or the nurses, it was for the sake of the three of them as well._

_Unohana stood up from her kneeling position beside Kurosaki Ichigo. She turned around to face the captains, all of them standing silently at the corner of the room._

"_Kurosaki-kun, won't be walking for a while." Unohana informed them. _

_If someone was shocked, everyone was pretty good in hiding it. Zaraki Kenpachi was the first one to break the silence._

"_But he will right?" _

_Unohana nodded. "It's just that, the injuries he sustained…severed a lot of nerves. It would take some time for him to regain them back. He's fortunate that it was not any vital veins or nerves that could paralyze or kill him."_

"_Aizen…he did this to him." Renji spoke, surprising everyone that he was awake._

"_Abarai-kun!" Hinamori ran to his side, embracing him tightly. "I'm so happy that you're awake."_

_Renji winced a little but welcomed the embrace. "Have I been out for long?"_

_Hinamori nodded. She looked at him teary eyed. Renji stared at her for a while before sighing. He wasn't really comfortable seeing the eyes of a girl. He deftly turned to the side to see Hitsugaya smiling at him gently._

"_Glad you're alright." Hitsugaya nodded. _

"_Same here." Renji smiled back gently. "How's your injuries?"_

"_Not that serious for me to be rendered out of commission for too long. It's been three days you know." Hitsugaya replied. "Got a few cuts here and there, but I'm good."_

"_Great to hear that…" Renji answered. _

_Unohana stepped forward. She was not sure if she should tell him now or later, but she did not want to him to hear it from anyone else. She swallowed the forming lump in her throat and spoke…_

"_Abarai-kun…" Unohana greeted and Renji looked at her._

"_Captain Unohana…" He made a respectful nod towards her direction as he tried to sit up. Hinamori assisted him, still a little teary eyed. "…Thank you."_

_Renji almost swore that he saw the female captain wince._

"_Abarai-kun…" Unohana continued. "You were wounded by a poison sword."_

_Renji remembered. Well, better yet, how can he forget? He knew very much that the sword that Tousen slashed him with was coated with poison. It was not as painful as being hit by the Senbonzakura of his captain, but it hurt in a different degree. It felt like needles continuously pinching him one by one in all directions, in all corners of his body. It felt like his brain was going explode. It felt like he was about to blow up…_

"_Abarai-kun…" Unohana swallowed. "We had no choice. I had no choice. I had to do it or else the poison would have damaged your entire body."_

_Renji looked up at her. He barely could understand._

"_Captain Unohana, I do not really understand…I'm sorry. What did you mean?"_

_Renji looked at her and she looked away. For the 4__th__ Division Captain, this was difficult because this news that she's going to tell him would…_

_Destroy him…_

_If he took it negatively…_

_If he became negative about it…_

_He would…_

"_Renji." Byakuya interrupted. Renji suddenly looked up at his captain._

"_Captain." Renji looked suddenly surprised. He stared at his captain who stood tall in front of him. Renji wanted to apologize for not being able to protect Rukia. "Captain, I…"_

"_You will train with me for the next days, when you get well." Byakuya commanded._

_Renji had this "huh" look. He always had the habit of scratching his head but…_

_But why wasn't he doing it?_

_He swore that he would be doing that…_

_He swore that he's doing that…_

_But…_

_What?!_

_Renji's eyes widened. _

_Byakuya stared at him. Unohana had her back turned to him. Hitsugaya was not looking and Hinamori was crying._

_Renji looked to the side. _

_He was speechless._

"_Abarai-kun, the poison spread too much on your right arm. It was too much for me to take care of and if I didn't do it, you'd die." Unohana swallowed. How many times had she delivered bad news? She could not even count. But this one was particularly painful…_

_Renji was the one that was going to be captain._

_And with this…_

_Renji stared at his "arm"._

"_It's not hopeless Abarai-kun! You can do it…it's just an arm…its…" Hinamori stuttered._

_Renji surprised everyone by laughing._

_Everyone stared at him. He still kept on laughing and laughing. Hinamori continued to cry, Hitsugaya and Unohana could not even look at him. But Byakuya spoke…_

"_You're not the 6__th__ Division's vice-captain for nothing." _

_Renji's laughter slowly ceased. But he was still laughing. He looked up at everyone in the room and nodded towards his captain._

"_Then Captain, I'll be seeing you for the next few days." Renji grinned. He then turned to Unohana. "Captain Unohana…"_

_The 4__th__ Division captain looked at him,_

"_Thank you." Renji smiled warmly. "Thank you for making me live."

* * *

_

Renji

Even though he accepted it positively, everyone knew that it was nothing to laugh about. He was probably laughing on the outside, but screaming in the inside.

They all knew…

But…

They were not about to remove his pride too.

* * *

_After Renji fell asleep. They moved to Kuchiki Rukia. She looked like he was dead. The only sign that she's still alive is his breathing. Unohana stared at the raven haired girl before explaining to everyone her status._

"_Kuchiki-san's condition was fatal when I arrived. The sword went through her and I honestly thought that I would not be able to save her at all." Unohana started. "I'm surprised, honestly surprised that she's still alive."_

_They looked at the petite frame of the small death god. She lay there on the bed, looking like she was simply sleeping. Her skin, almost as white as snow. Her breathing seems to be in pain. It was irregular, deep, and short._

_Byakuya stared at her. Whenever he looked at her, he felt painful. He felt like he wanted to go out and chop Aizen's head right then and there. He wanted so much to deliver the death blow to that cunning and treacherous ex-death god. _

_God!_

_He wants to kill him._

"_Rukia-chan…" Ukitake muttered. "What's to be with her?"_

"_She's alright Captain Ukitake." Unohana reassured him. "Her powers are surprising. It seems that the powers of her soul slayer is more than it's ice powers. It has preservation powers as well."_

"_Preservation?" Kenpachi repeated. "By that you mean…"_

"_Yes. She was preserved. The coldness of her powers went inside her and preserved everything. It was like time stopped for her." Unohana went near Rukia. She knelt down and blew a breath of air. _

_There was vapor. Almost as if she let go of a breath of air during winter._

_They stared at Rukia's body. Captain Zaraki went near and touched the frail body of the smaller death god. He was surprised to feel that she was as cold as ice. His eyes widened in utter surprise and amazement. He could not believe this. It was like she was placed in an iceberg and became a popsicle…literally._

"_Damn, she's ice—literally." Zaraki remarked. "This is unique. This is definitely a first time."_

"_Yes. And not only that." Unohana added. "She's still in Bankai."_

_They were surprised. She was right. Rukia still is in Bankai-mode. Her clothes were different but her spiritual energy still remained the same. Her sword beside her still remained the same as she is during her bankai mode. _

"_This is impossible." Sui Fong commented, amazed at what she saw. "Unbelievable. How is this possible?"_

"_I am not certain. But…maybe just maybe…" Unohana looked at Byakuya. She continued. "Urahara Kisuke might know…"_

That's why…

Right at this very moment…

Byakuya's going to meet…

Urahara Kisuke.

* * *

TBC

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	7. Chapter 7

**MORE THAN WHAT MEETS THE EYE**

"_Chapter 6"_

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Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and any of the characters. Some of the characters in this fanfiction are created for the purpose of creating a deeper plot. There may be some violent scenarios during the entire story. There is no yaoi, shounen-ai, or yuri in this story. Keep and open mind and read at your own risk. 

Please read and review. Thank you!

Thank you for those who have reviewed the previous chapters. I deeply appreciate all the help that I could get. Please continue to review. I am really encouraged to write because of the reviews that I get.

* * *

The boundaries which divide life from death  
are at best shadowy and vague.  
Who shall say where one ends,  
and the other begins?  
**Edgar Alan Poe**

* * *

Urahara Kisuke knew who is currently standing in front of the door of his home. He didn't even have to open it to know who it is. He only needed to sense a bit of the spiritual energy and he already knew of his visitor. There are very few in Soul Society who had this kind of aura, excluding him, Isshin, Yuroichi, Yamamoto, and Aizen.

He debated between himself if he should greet the visitor by the door or just wait for the visitor to come in—he could really. Or he could wait for the other option, which was that the visitor would simply knock off the wooden door and let himself in.

But, manners went ahead of him. He slid the door open and smiled warmly.

"Ara! Byakuya-boy! It's been a long time since you've paid me a visit." Urahara greeted him warmly and with energy. "…personally…"

Byakuya simply stared at the man who stood in front of him. His striped hat, the coat, the haori, the cane, the hair, they were all different from the Urahara Kisuke that he remembered before when he was still a shinigami. More than that, this Urahara Kisuke's attitude is far different from THE Captain Urahara Kisuke.

But…

Appearances do and did deceive people…even death gods at times.

Even though he changed his appearance; even though he's hiding beneath that worn out hat; even though he changed the way he acts and reacts; his spiritual energy did not decrease through time. It only increased. This IS the Captain Urahara Kisuke that trained Kurosaki Ichigo. And also the Urahara Kisuke that stuck Rukia in a faux body with that…

Hougyoku…

"Urahara…" Byakuya started staring down the much older man obviously lacking respect.

"Oh how rude of me. Do come in, Kuchiki Byakuya-sama." Urahara bowed as if to make way of his visitor.

The other did not miss the sarcasm and the teasing manner of the former captain. But he knew that was not the reason why he was there. So he chose to shove it off to the side and focus on the far more important things such as the explanation. He stood there waiting for his host to guide him through the house. Urahara moved to his front door.

"Ah, here. Follow me. We can talk in this room." Urahara led the way to a chamber near the end of the hall.

They walked past a few halls until they reached the dojo. They sat down facing each other. Urahara Kisuke still smiling with his eyes buried underneath the silhouette of his hat while Kuchiki Byakuya stared him down. The blond former death god rubbed his nape and smiled sheepishly.

"Well, to what do I owe this visit, Kuchiki-san." Urahara asked, although he already knew, even at the vaguest details, the reason why Kuchiki Byakuya visited him this time. "Honestly, this is the first time that I met you…outside of the safety of your world."

Urahara picked up a pot of tea. He looked up to his guest and smiled.

"Coffee? Tea? Me?" Urahara teased and Byakuya did not even blink.

"I'll be going straight to the point, Urahara-san." Byakuya started, cutting off the other. "What is happening to Rukia?"

"Rukia-chan?" Urahara asked, for the sake of asking. He already knew his purpose anyway. "What is happening to…"

Byakuya glared at him.

Urahara smiled. He was smart and he knew when not to make jokes. But…

Somehow, it was really fun to tease the 6th division captain. It's not really everyday that you get an honorable guest such as this and definitely not everyday wherein you can actually tease the captain without getting at least some of your blood on the floor.

But one look in the eyes of Byakuya's eyes, Urahara could not even muster enough guts to tease him anymore. There were so many emotions left in his eyes. Even though it was covered with his usual mask of indifference, there were emotions of…

Anxiety

Loneliness

Hopelessness

Helplessness…

Fear…

"It's the Hougyouku." Urahara answered, politely.

"Clarify this one. I believe that the hougyoku that you made was already taken by Aizen." Byakuya growled, he didn't really feel like the former captain was taking him seriously at all.

He traveled to this place because of his emotions. He appeared the same on the outside because of his mask of indifference. But deep down inside, he was simply struggling. Emotions were in turmoil and he could not really feel the ties of his long learned emotional control. He could almost feel that a little more of those surprising Rukia-accidents would break his string and knock him out of indifference.

Even if he did not show it, he felt for his sister.

To be specific, he felt for Rukia.

He didn't really know, but somehow

He felt that he didn't really see her as his sister anymore.

At first he thought that he only saw Hisana's reflection on her. They do look alike in so many ways than he could imagine, but then his feelings started to develop without him noticing it. He would watch her sneak out and go to the human world to escape her emotional moments and he would make sure no one caught her. He would watch her for the entire night just to make sure that she was safe.

He rationalized by saying that he was trying to atone for the sins that he did. But then whenever Ichigo and Renji came near Rukia, he felt this strong tugging feeling in his chest. At first it was something akin to what people may refer to selfishness. He thought it was because she was his sister and he had this protective brother thing. But then he was surprised when seeing them too near each other easily irked him and made him lose his patience a lot faster.

He would sometimes forbid Renji to come to the Kuchiki household just because he did not want to see him near Rukia. Of course, no one noticed this but a mere act of the 6th Division Captain wanting some peace on his own. But deep inside, he wanted him out because he did not want him anywhere near Rukia.

Then he would start to feel a little tingling feeling whenever she was around. She would notice the slightest tensing of her muscles and would smell her fragrance even stronger. He would notice the slight smile that she would give and in all his annoyance, he did notice the difference in her treatment between him, Ichigo, and Renji.

Sometimes, he wished he was not her brother…

To be honest…

He wished that he wasn't…

Because if that would be true…

Then his feelings would not be forbidden…

His thoughts were interrupted when Urahara spoke.

"Ah, but I did anticipate that." Urahara sipped the tea that's in front of him. "I am not stupid enough to not prepare for a possible 'theft' of my dangerous research material."

Urahara rubbed his nape and sighed.

"A lot of people in Soul Society, including Aizen, thought I did not know how to dispose of the thing I created." Urahara rolled his eyes. "Of course I knew. It was a matter of creation and destruction, the principle is too simple that even kids know that."

Byakuya wasn't really the type that would ask "huh" but his expression was almost an equivalent. Urahara smirked at the confused expression that was written all over the face of the 6th Division captain.

"When the hougyoku is mentioned in Soul Society, the people see it as some sort of small plasma orb that contains powers that are unmatched." Urahara started. "That's why I created a decoy to represent that. However, the real Hougyoku is not a simple orb."

Byakuya listened intently.

"The hougyoku is the faux body itself." Urahara continued. "To be specific, it is the body and soul that temporarily fused with the orb."

Urahara sipped his tea before continuing. He noticed that Byakuya did not move an inch.

"I must be confusing you." Urahara teased.

If Byakuya was not Byakuya, he would have nodded.

"The hougyoku, in essence, is an object that breaks the line between a hollow and a shinigami. To others, it is something that breaks the limits of both. But in theory, the two sides are both dead beings. The dead do not get stronger." Urahara grumbled.

_Right…_Byakuya almost thought agreeing with the theory. The dead does have the limitations of the dead. Hollows and Shinigamis are both dead beings and are no longer allowed to stay in the world of the living. The two beings are created after dying as humans. So then, what is the line that separates the two?

"Therefore, the line that is between them is…" Urahara started to explain.

"Humanity." Byakuya continued for him, getting the theory. Urahara smiled.

"Indeed you are one smart boy." Urahara ignored the scowl that Byakuya made and proceeded to relay the explanation. "Humanity is what separates a hollow and a death god. The limitations of the human body caused what the Catholic believers say as the miracle of life."

"Thus, when I created the hougyoku, I had intentions of not creating something that would bring forth eternal life or immortality, instead, bringing forth humanity. What makes Kurosaki Ichigo stronger than Zaraki Kenpachi? In perspective, they both long for strength and power. They both have people they want to protect. They both have bodies, souls, and hearts. But what makes them so different that Ichigo was able to defeat Kenpachi?" Urahara looked at Byakuya.

"It's not the hollow inside him that makes him stronger." Urahara knew what he was thinking.

"Then what is it?" Byakuya asked, a little annoyed with the long story but digesting them all in his brain.

"Death." Urahara replied. "Yes, death is what differentiates them. Kenpachi isn't afraid of death, instead he likes it. He likes the feeling of pain and anguish. He likes being challenged and pushed near death."

"But Kurosaki Ichigo fears it…" Yuroichi interrupted. Byakuya sensed her and did not bother looking up at her as she sat down beside Urahara. "Pleasure to see you again, Byakuya-boy."

Byakuya did nothing to reply.

"Polite as always." Yuroichi grumbled towards the 6th Division Captain.

Urahara simply acknowledged her presence and proceeded with his theory.

"That's why, I created something that then protects someone from this. I had thought of bringing humanity but then I created something I did not foresee." Urahara continued. "I created something that would bring immortality. It freezes death and stops it from claiming life. I created something that would people refer to as the hougyoku."

"Yes, we were discussing that part." Byakuya snide.

"And to your question…" Urahara noticed the impatience. "The faux body that I lent to Rukia-chan was a part of the hougyoku. It was the carrier or the sheath of the hougyoku."

"I am confused." Byakuya honestly remarked. "I am sorry to say this but please get to the point. You are running about in circles."

"Byakuya-boy, what this man is trying to say is that he created two hougyoku." Yuroichi answered. "The hougyoku that Aizen has is the hougyoku that deals death, while that hougyoku that your sister has is the one that preserves life."

Byakuya's eyes widened.

"In principle, it was true that I did not know how to destroy something I created, but I do know how to counterbalance it." Urahara countered. "It is simply Yin-Yang. I created something that could destroy, therefore I have to create something that could restore."

"Two hougyoku. One of death and the other of life." Byakuya surmised. "So you are saying that Rukia's faux body is a hougyoku?"

"Yes and no. Yes because it was her faux body. No because she isn't in the faux body anymore. She's in her normal body." Urahara shook his head. "The hougyoku in the faux body is temporary, what's permanent is that when I asked her to use that faux body, I wanted to turn her to human. Not to seal the death hougyoku, but to seal it both."

Byakuya thought that if he would have been Kurosaki Ichigo, his brain would be bleeding. But since he was a Kuchiki, he understood everything in plain English. The only thing wrong with this is that the person doing the explaining wasn't really doing it clearly.

It was plain obvious that he was a bit unnerved with him…rather…uncomfortable with him.

"Urahara, I will summarize everything." Byakuya sighed inwardly. "In gist, you discovered that the line between hollows and death gods is humanity. So you wanted to create that. In the process you created something that deals death, in short, gives power that exceeds both death gods and hollows. So not knowing how to destroy it, you created a counter balancer—that's the life hougyoku. Which is the faux body…"

Urahara nodded.

"You got almost everything correct." Urahara nodded, a little happy.

"Almost?" Byakuya raised a fine eyebrow.

Urahara nodded.

"To be accurate, the life hougyoku is your sister." Urahara smiled. "And to be even more accurate, the real hougyoku is…"

Byakuya's eyes widened fractionally.

Finally understanding everything.

* * *

It was so white around the entire room. The white curtains danced around the area and the wind blew a gentle breeze. There was no one in the room except the girl, lying down on the bed with her eyes slowly opening. Amethyst eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. She blinked once and then twice before covering her face slightly because of surprise coming from the sun's morning glare. 

She squinted her eyes and saw the sign of the 4th Division.

"I'm…in the 4th Division…" Her voice was soft and weak. She could not move a muscle from the other parts of her body. It was only her arm that she could move freely.

Her raven locks felt all tangled up in her scalp after what seemed to be a few weeks of sleep. Rukia felt as if she was out for too long. But then again, now that she's awake, she felt that she already restored majority of her energy.

There was not more pain in some of her body, even though the memory of being stabbed in more than one place was still there. She was only worried that she probably was decapitated. She was glad that her body parts were still intact.

She concentrated and tried to move some parts of her body such as her legs and arms, and she felt them move to her need. She slowly went to sitting position before trying to steady herself. She looked to the window distracted with the beautiful cherry blossom petals failing to notice the aura of the person that stood beside her.

A hand gently found its way on her shoulder which surprised her. She immediately turned in alarm, taking her sword to her side and shielding it in front of her. But the person who she saw surprised her…

* * *

**TBC**

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